Curved reflectarrays for high-gain antenna solutions with improved folding capability

Resumen

In this contribution, the design of reflectarray antennas on spherical surfaces is proposed to achieve a compromise between parabolic and spherical surfaces. The reflectarray antenna spherical surface is defined to minimize the differences with respect to the parabolic surface of a conventional reflector antenna. The printed elements on the reflectarray surface are designed to correct the spherical aberration, improving the focusing of the spherical surface and providing the electrical performance of a parabolic reflector antenna, while the spherical surface maintains the advantages regarding the folding mechanism of the antenna. The focusing and scanning capabilities of spherical reflectarrays are evaluated and the implementation of spherical reflectarrays in dual antenna configurations is also proposed to provide further compact antenna solutions.