The GTRI prototype reconfigurable aperture antenna

In this paper, we describe a prototype antenna resulting from a three-year effort to design, build, and test a reconfigurable aperture (RECAP). The antenna consists of a planar array of electrically small, metallic patches that are interconnected by switches. The antenna can be reconfigured to meet different performance goals, e.g., bandwidth requirements and steering, by changing the switches that are open and closed. The switch configuration for a particular goal is determined using an optimizer, such as the genetic algorithm, with a full FDTD simulation. In previous papers, we presented the basic concept for the GTRI RECAP antenna along with several possible methods for controlling the switches. Here, we give the details for a prototype antenna that uses FET-based electronic switches with optical control.