A beam-shaping phased antenna array based on true-time delay technologies

The demand for phased antenna arrays (PAAs) has increased significantly during the past decade. For most applications, they are employed in radar and communication systems to transmit/receive a signal or trace a target. A common function of a PAA is to scan the main beam into the desired direction. Additionally, a PAA can also provide beam-shaping capability by appropriate arrangement of the feed signals, which is the focus of the current research. Such a beam shaping PAA system has been proposed to serve as an electronically controlled "lens" for use in plasma imaging reflectometric diagnostics. To account for the rapid changes of the cutoff layer with plasma density variation, a true time delay (TTD) controlled PAA is being developed as an artificial lens with controllable focal properties for launching the illumination beam of the microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) system.