Modelling of microstrip antenna phased arrays using sub-array decomposition

A decomposition in sub-arrays is used to reduce the computation time in the modelling of a finite phased array of microstrip antennas. The surface currents are considered of equal amplitude on the patches which have the same neighbourhood configuration. This simplifies the resolution of the integral equation by reducing the number of unknown coefficients. This method can be applied in the case of large phased arrays or arrays with parasitic elements. In the case of a four-element linear array the theory agrees well with the experiment and this method is less time-consuming than the “element by element” approach