Design of a Finite Array with a Radome Incorporating a Frequency Selective Surface

To fully characterise the behaviour of complex antenna arrays it is necessary to take into account the whole array environment. This includes all of the surrounding elements along with any radome or other structure nearby. Historically such simulations have proven too complex for 3D field solvers to handle. However new developments in field solver technology, coupled with improvements in computing power, enable much larger, more comprehensive simulations to be done. This paper will show how Ansoft HFSStrade has been used to simulate a whole finite array structure and examine its performance. A FSS will then be derived and the reflection and transmission capabilities of the FSS across the desired frequency range in terms of both magnitude and phase will be derived. The scan behaviour of the FSS will also be investigated, fully in order to ensure that the behaviour is appropriate to the array. Finally the paper will show how array and FSS are cosimulated in order to optimise the FSS design to maintain the desired array performance.