Characterization and design methodology for the dual exponentially tapered slot antenna

Tapered slot antennas are simple planar structures with broadband characteristics that are typically used in arrays for radar applications, mobile satellite communications and phased arrays. Most published work has been limited to the linearly tapered slot and Vivaldi antennas. Very little has been published on the dual exponentially tapered slot antenna (DETSA), originally referred to as a wideband bunny-ear element. In this paper a performance characterization for the DETSA is presented. It has been found that careful design of the DETSA can give improved directivity and half power beamwidth (HPBW) performance over the Vivaldi antenna. Also presented is a method for defining the DETSA dimensions in terms of ratios, so design features of different DETSAs can be quantified and their performance compared.