Synthesis of Large Thinned Planar Arrays Using a Modified Iterative Fourier Technique

A modified iterative Fourier technique (MIFT) is proposed for the synthesis of large thinned planar arrays generating a pattern with lower sidelobe level (SLL). This technique is based on the iterative Fourier technique (IFT), and a variable filling factor is introduced to avoid the local minima in the optimization. Numerical results for several circular thinned planar arrays demonstrate that when the array´s filling factor is larger than 40%, the MIFT allows one to find the optimum element distribution that yields a pattern with the minimum sidelobe level and almost the same beamwidth as the one obtainable using the IFT and a deterministic approach (DA). An approach for identifying the most appropriate sidelobe level threshold (SLT) suitable for the MIFT for synthesizing a large thinned planar array is also proposed.