A magnetic-conductor-like backplane for thin, conformal end-fire antennas

We present a thin, conformal end-fire antenna that incorporates a perfect magnetic conductor (PMC)-like reactive backplane to support electric fields polarized tangential to the mounting surface. This field orientation is in contrast to the normally-polarized field produced by the cavity-backed slot antenna typically used for end-fire radiation along a body, In addition, the PMC-backed antenna differs structurally from the slot in that it requires neither surface perforation nor a cavity volume The present antenna is a layered structure that uses an end-fire planar radiator (e.g. phased array or notch) placed above a high-impedance, or reactive, surface that exhibits zero phase shift at its resonant frequency, providing support for a wave polarized tangential to the surface. The thin, conformal profile of the antenna is achieved by loading the reactive surface with a flexible, artificial high-dielectric material that lowers the resonant frequency, thereby decreasing the electrical size.