Radiation Analysis Approaches for Reflectarray Antennas [Antenna Designer´s Notebook]

This paper compares two basic methods for analysis of the radiation performance of reflectarray antennas. Two different approaches - array theory and aperture field - are first described, and numerical results are then presented for various reflectarray configurations. The advantages and limitations for each method are discussed, and the numerical results are compared with each other, showing very good agreement. Comparison with full-wave simulations showed that these approaches are time-efficient methods that can accurately calculate the reflectarray antenna´s pattern shape, main-beam direction, beamwidth, and sidelobe and cross-polarization levels. As such, these methods can be efficient tools for antenna engineers for designing and analyzing reflectarray antennas.