High Gain Slot Array with Fabry-Perot Cavity Feeding Circuit

Abstract

A new approach for designing slot arrays using a Fabry-Perot cavity for the feeding circuit is presented. The proposed array has simpler and smaller feeding circuit compared to conventional feeding networks that have multiple dividers or combiners. The dividers and combiners are usually sources of losses. In addition, the profile of the proposed array is not limited by the half-wavelength resonance condition that exists for Fabry-Perot resonator antennas based on partially reflecting surfaces. The operating frequency is not sensitive to the profile of the antenna. A small profile can be achieved without the utilization of an artificial magnetic conductor or a substrate with high dielectric constant. To validate the proposed approach, full-wave numerical results are presented at 5.8 GHz showing good impedance matching, a high gain of about 22 dB, and an efficiency of 76%.