Implementation of blinds for cross-polarization reduction on a conformal slotted-waveguide subarray

This paper describes the design and implementation of blinds whose purpose is to reduce cross-polarized radiation from slotted waveguide subarray antenna. The conformal, faceted subarray was developed as part of a larger circular array which is intended to provide full 360deg azimuth coverage for a sensing system operating from 16-16.6 GHz. The blinds were added to the waveguide to reduce the radiated cross-polarization levels. This paper presents the design and physical implementation of the blinds. A comparison is presented between measured and FEM-modeled directivity patterns demonstrating the effectiveness of the technique.