A frequency reconfigurable cell for beam-scanning reflectarrays

Reflectarray antennas are excellent candidates for beam-scanning applications thanks to their low loss, light and quasi-planar structure and ease of electronic control. However, reflectarray antennas suffer from narrower bandwidths than phased arrays and reflector solutions. In this context we present a frequency-reconfigurable cell for beam-scanning reflectarrays, as a solution for applications that operate over a large frequency range but that require a narrower instantaneous bandwidth. The presented cell requires only two switches and one varactor to provide a reflection coefficient with continuously tunable phase over a 270° range which can be shifted over a 40% frequency range.