Pattern and polarization reconfigurable CRLH leaky wave antenna

Composite Right Left Handed (CRLH) structures have recently been used to design leaky wave antennas (LWAs) that allow for continuous beam steering from endfire to backfire. In this paper we propose a novel reconfigurable LWA that takes advantage of the CRLH properties to achieve dynamic pattern and polarization reconfigurability. The antenna radiation beam can be steered from endfire to backfire while tuning the polarization of the radiated field from circular to linear by means of variable phase shifters. The antenna has frequency dependent beam scanning capabilities, however by properly loading the LWA with variable capacitors a frequency independent beam scanning behaviour is achieved. Simulated radiation patterns show that the proposed antenna design exhibits similar gain for all its configurations.