Series feed aperture-coupled leaky wave antenna

Aperture-coupled microstrip patch antenna was proposed by Pozar (1985) and this topic has attracted wide interests and discussions. The aperture-coupled structure is more suitable for integration of active elements due to the radiating elements and feed line is separated by a common ground plane which isolates the radiation from the feed line network. Additionally, when designing an array, the aperture-coupled structure is easier to fabricate and lower in costs compared with probe feed in which the soldering of probe-feeds is prone to repeatability problems. Different aperture shapes have different coupling, it is desirable to use an aperture shape which has maximum coupling for the smallest area to reduce the back radiation. A series feed aperture-coupled leaky wave antenna (LWA) with an "hour glass" shaped aperture which gives further improvement in the coupling is presented. The experimental result is compared with simulated result and demonstrates satisfactory agreement. The proposed antenna is low cost, light weight and easy to fabricate. It can be applied to long enclosed areas such as tunnels, shopping malls, and subway concourses, etc.