A SPIRAL SHAPED SLOT AS A BROAD-BAND SLOTTED WAVEGUIDE ANTENNA

The utility of slotted waveguide antennas would be maximized if the bandwidth of the radiating elements matched that available in the waveguide. This was achieved using a spiral shaped slot cut through the broad-wall of a rectangular waveguide. The predicted total efficiency and peak realized gain were relatively uniform across the entire bandwidth. The current distribution around the slot was predicted to be similar to that around a conventional, center fed, slot spiral antenna, indicating similarity of radiation mechanisms. Finally, the antenna patterns for spiral shaped slots in waveguides manufactured from copper and carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) were shown to be similar to that predicted.