New iterative integral equation technique for multilayered printed array antennas

When analyzing large printed antenna arrays with irregularly located radiating elements, the method of moments yields a very large system of equations, which cannot be solved by matrix inversion. An iterative scheme was therefore developed, in which each element is first analyzed independently, to determine the surface current flowing on it. The coupling between elements is then introduced as a perturbation, yielding an iterative process based on the Jacobi decomposition of a matrix linear equation. However the convergence of the process is not guaranteed, but can be "restored" by coupling the iterative scheme with a convergence accelerator algorithm. The interest of the proposed technique is illustrated by the analysis of a slot-fed array of printed patches.