Concepts for polarising sheets & “Dual-gridded” reflectors for circular polarisation

C-, Ku- and Ka-band communications and broadcast satellites use so-called dual-gridded reflector antennas for linear polarisation to provide independent reflector surfaces and/or independent feeds for the two orthogonal polarisations. This paper describes initial work to extend this concept to circular polarisation. First we set up preliminary specifications and identify several antenna concepts based upon planar transmission sheet polarisers. Next we identify a number of polarisers of which the most promising is the meander-line, the L+C strip-grids and the parallel-plate polariser. Finally we review the conclusions of the analyses and preliminary designs of the sheet polarisers - on the antenna level as part of a reflector antenna system, on the polariser level, and on the sheet level inside the polariser.