Design of a Ku-band reflectarray antenna consisting of only metallic surfaces

In this paper, a new low-cost metal-only reflectarray antenna working at 12.5 GHz is proposed. It is made of only two pieces of metallic sheets separated by an air layer. The simulated aperture efficiency of a representative reflectarray antenna is 55.3%, which is comparable with conventional reflectarrays. By uniting isolated patches into a whole structure, the metal-only reflectarray does not need expensive substrate laminate as key structural component, greatly reducing the antenna cost. More importantly the metal-only reflectarray could resist the harsh conditions of extreme temperatures and high pressure, making it suitable for demanding applications.