VARIABLY INCLINED CONTINUOUS TRANSVERSE STUE2 ANTENNA Thomas Sikina, Dr. Douglas McKay, Dr. Kenneth Komisarek, Dr.

Bradley Porter

Raytheon Company, U.S.A., 528 BostonPost Road, M / S 3-1-162, Sudbuy, MA 01776 Telephone: 978440-3515, Fax: 978440-1890 E-Mail: Thomas_Sikina@raytheon.com

ABSTRACT
The Variably Inclined Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) technology, especially in its secondgeneration antenna shows exceptional promise as a lowcost, high-performance alternative to traditional phased arrays in advanced communications applications. VICTS technology was invented and developed by Raytheon ( I ) as an outgrowth of work conducted on continuous transverse stub (CTS) radiators. In its basic form (VICTS-I), a series of long, wideband slots is excited by a parallel plate feed network. Elevation scanning is accomplished via the independent rotation (inclination) of the slots with respect to the feed, and azimuth scanning is accomplished by rotating the feed and radiation layers together in a % $ spherically scanned system. The VICTS-2 antenna is therefore a low profile, planar, electrwnechanicallyscanned, broadband passive phased a m y whose simple design translates into lowcost production, highreliability, and lowloss antennas.
This paper describes the key antenna technologies that support the second generation VICTS-2 antenna (2).

The antenna's reliance on broadband antenna and component technologies in a true-time delay and polarization diverse system is largely unique.
1.0

VICTS-2 BROADBAND ANTENNA SYSTEM

Advanced contemporary ground terminal militaxy and commercial SATCOM and Line-of-Sight (LOS) communications links often require the use of low profile, single function, multi-beam phased array antennas. This has a dramatic effect on the number of apertures needed in a host platform and the recurring antenna cost. Since future satellites, for example, are expected to cany multiple, single hnction communication systems on a each payload, it would make sense to develop lowcost broadband ground terminal antennas that can handle full duplex communications links using a single aperture, thus allowing high volume utilization of satellite resources. The VICTS-2 antenna is designed to address this and related future communications needs and represents a novel technology in several respects; Broadband, multifunctional single beam coverage for satellite and Line-of-Sight communications links from a single antenna, dramatically reducing the number of apertures on host platforms. 2) Full duplex capability fiom a single aperture, giving as much as 3 dB receive and 6 dB transmit advantage over simplex antennas like many high frequency phased array antennas. 3) Air-cooled antenna with agile beams capabilities for many host applications. 4) Polarization diversity, allowing the use of multiple, frequency assigned, and simultaneous polarizations from a single aperture. 5) Wide scan coverage, allowing ground station coverage for SATCOM links from a single aperture. I) The system block diagram illustrates the V I C E - 2 antenna architecture used to support the above stated capabilities (Figure I). Starting from the antenna aperture, a wideband dual-polarized radiator is used. The technology associated with this radiator is derived from recent developments in wideband phased array 0-7803-7827-X/03/$l7.00 02003 IEEE. 435

element design at Raytheon (3). The dual-polarized radiator interfaces with a series of uniformly phased Upper Feed heamformers. These collapse the aperture fields in the plane orthogonal to the scan axis and into an equivalent phased line source for the two orthogonal polarization networks, and transition into the Scan Mechanism. The latter again can focus the phased line source into a parallel plate waveguide (PPWG) mode, and is an essential feature of the VICTS antennas. The VICTS scan mechanism is primarily responsible for lowscan loss performance, and this design is extended for broadband operation in the VICTS-2 antenna. The PPWG fields are again collapsed in the scan plane with the Lower Feed, which uses low-loss PPWG beamforming. Essentially, two distribution networks are used to collapse the scanned aperture fields with two orthogonal polarizations. These are amplified and combined using conventional hybrid and phase shifter technologies. The broad antenna operating range, extending over a 2.6:l frequency ratio, allows multiple full duplex functions to be excited on a single aperture. Suh-hands associated with each function are separated with diplexers or multiplexers, which feed function-specific amplifiers, as illustrated in the simple duplex case shown in the block diagram.

2.0

VICTS-2 TECHNOLOGY

Clearly, there is a wide range of technologies necessary for the VICTS-2 architecture, from the phased array radiator to the Upper and Lower Feed beamformers to the scan mechanism. Characteristics that are common among the technologies supporting the VICTS-2 antenna include, 1) Broadband, 2.6: 1 operating frequency range 2) True time delay from the antenna aperture to the active RF components

3) Dual equivalent pathways for two orthogonal polarizations, from the aperture to the active RF components
4) Low Ohmic and reflective losses

5) Low recurring cost

These simultaneous requirements are difficult to achieve, but are realizable in a variety of PPWG, slotline, ridged waveguide and broadband notch geometries, each with several common characteristics and various implementation differences.

2.1

Scan Mechanism

The scan mechanism must convert a fixed phase front field to a PPWG field distribution with a linear phase dependency proportional to the PPWG physical orientation angle. The resulting scan mechanism electric field can be described as,

wherea(x) is the amplitude distribution along the x-axis, this being the magnetic plane at the PPWG port interface, E, is the dielectric constant of the scan mechanism medium, andGP is the rotation angle input and output Poynting vectors (Figure 2). Note that the selection of the dielectric constant is an important part in the design of the scan mechanism. When implemented in PPWG, the scan mechanism can produce excellent results, with Ohmic losses less than 0.2 dB over the operating hand, amplitude and phase perturbations less than 0.5 dB and 3 degrees rms, with properly weighted distributions. The total loss, including terminated power in port 3 is less than 0.5 dB, as illustrated by Finite Element Model (FEM) simulation (Figure 3), for a pseudo-uniform excitation.

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2.2

Upper & Lower Feeds

Both Upper and Lower Feeds are beamformers that collapse, or reciprocally expand the fields of a point source to that of a line source. Considering that this is must be accomplished with low Ohmic and scattering losses and over a broad operating bandwidth, many constrained beamformer types can be eliminated. These latter include binomial and odd-integer combinations of divider components such as ratrace, Wilkinson, and Marchand types. With aperture lattice dimensions approaching U2 at the highest operating frequency, these types also pose onerous packaging problems as well. Instead, optical combining techniques, such the pillbox beamformer (4) show wide bandwidth and low loss characteristics. The Lower Feed collapses the line source fields in the scan plane to a point source, with a tapered amplitude distribution, this latter due to the area function associated with the columns of Upper Feed beamformers used in a circular aperture. The xaxis (H-plane) dependence of this field function is a quadratic function of the antenna radius ( r ),

This latter function approaches the amplitude distribution inherent in a pillbox beamformer with space taper and a primary radiating pattern, as illustrated in Figure 4. The inherent low loss of the PPWG medium and the optical design are also advantages of this design. Also, the optical features of the pillbox beamformer are inherently broadband. With proper dimensional control, the phase taper can be very low, and amplitude errors controlled by proper design and control of the pillbox and feed dimensions. Because the scan mechanism and upper feed occupy levels other than the Lower Feed, two 90 degree bends in PPWG are used to transition to these levels. With proper design and fabrication control, these devices show excellent bandwidth and low losses, as indicated in Figure 5. The Upper Feed, although similar to the Lower Feed in terms of its need for low losses and broad operating bandwidth, has other significant differences. First, its depth is a significant part of the total depth of the antenna system, so it must he controlled. Secondly, the most desirable amplitude taper is a moderate taper. It forms a beam in the unscanned plane, so it requires a constant phase front at the aperture, as does the Lower Feed.
A low profile Upper Feed is achieved with a combination of binomial distribution of discrete junction dividers and folded pillbox beamformers. The ray optics for the latter is illustrated, showing reflecting and dielctric interfaces for the folded pillbox in Figure 6. Using Eplane tee junctions, binomial beamformers can be implemented with excellent scattering parameters. Recent simulations indicate that the mismatch and Ohmic loss of these components is less than 0.3 dB, and the devices cover the full operating bandwidth.

A synthesis path is used to determine optimal pillbox and dielectric surface contours. This is accomplished by deriving a set of simultaneous equations related to the geometric optics of the device, along with conditions for a uniform phase front at one port and a point source at the other port. There are up to 22 simultaneous equations involved, some involving transcendental functions, and differential equations for the surface tangents and normals. As if this synthesis process were not sufficiently complex enough, it is also seeded with initial curves that minimize the space loss. The spatial loss associated with the spreading of incident bundles of rays in the feed network f ( x ) , as can be described by the differential ratio of the incident angle ( 0 ) and the H-plane dimension of the aperture port ( x ),

f(XI = dx

dB

(3)

Dielectric interface reflections are present, hut minimized with the use of tapered transitions. However, intemal beamformer reflections do not pose a problem in terms of the total loss in the antenna beamforming, because this is relatively small. These internal reflections are significant in terms of the sidelobes produced and are minimized accordingly.

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2.3

Radiator

A wideband radiator is used to transition the PPWG Upper Feed to scanned space. One of the most important recent technologies that enable developments such as VICTS-2 is the balanced-fed wideband radiator developed by Raytheon for the AMRF-C program (5). This radiator has demonstrated wide-angle and wideband performance i a concentric phase center phased array radiator. This device can be n instrumented to interface with the PPWG Upper Feed interface. Recent simulations indicate that good scan performance from boresight to 60 degree scan can be achieved with this design approach (Figure 7).

3.0

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Many creative contributors have made their impact on VICTS-2 development and their efforts are acknowledged. Special appreciation goes to Dr. Fred Unkauf for the vision to pursue this challenging and rewarding technology.

4.0
1.

REFERENCES:
Compact. Ultra-Wideband, Antenna Architecture Comprising a Multistage. Multilevel Network of Constant Reflection-Coefficient Comwnents, US Patent No. 6,075,494, W. W. Milroy Mechanically Steerable A m y Antenna, Intemational Patent No. WO 021019466, US Patent No. 6,507,319 B2, Thomas V. Sikina Wideband Phase Array Radiator, Patent Pending, R. V. Cummings, K. D.Trott, T. V. Sikina, R. 1. Cavener, E. A. Yuteri, I. M. McGuinnis, I. P. Biondi. Antenna Engineerine Handbook, H. J. Jasik, McGraw-Hill, 1961, Chapter 12, pillbox antennas. Widehand Phased Array Radiator, R. Cavener, J. Biondi, T. Sikina, K. Trott, 2003 IEEE Intemational Symposium on Phased Array Systems and Technology

2.
3. 4.
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Figure 1. VICTS-2 Antenna System Block Diagram.

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4 6 B Distance from Center (in)

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Figure 4. Simulated electric field distribution produced by the Lower Feed pillbox beamfomer.

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Figure 5 . Simulated scattering parameters for two cascaded 90' PPWG bends
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Figure 6. Ray optics and synthesized surfaces for a half-model tri-folded Upper Feed pillbox beamfonner, using symmehy. Flow- 1.2lFlOw 0.96Fhizh - h i E ,

Figure 7. Simulated active impedance for a wideband phased array radiator at stated scan angles and frequencies.

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