Diagnostic of phased arrays with fault elements using the mutual coupling method

This paper has shown that the mutual coupling method (MCM) calibration technique is very sensitive to faulty elements due to its error propagation effect to elements following the faulty element. This calibration error affects the phased array radiation patterns and degrades its sidelobe topology. The effect was demonstrated on sum and difference patterns in different scenarios. A method for detecting and bypassing faulty elements was presented. The method uses the same principles as the MCM and therefore is very suitable for industrial use.