Design of a scalable phased array antenna with a simplified architecture

A simplified architecture for a scalable phased array is proposed. In this design, a new technique for steering the array´s beam has been devised. The proposed technique integrates the phase shift function into array´s feed network and significantly reduces the required number of phase shifters in phased array. Phase shifters are responsible for a great portion of the complexity, size, and cost of phased arrays. Therefore, reducing their number allows for less complexity and cost. As a proof of concept, a Ku-band eight element phased array based on the proposed method is presented. This array has 33 degrees of scan range and is composed of variable gain amplifiers, power combiners/dividers, and two phase shifters.