Wideband Dual Polarized and Dual Monopulse Compact Array for SAR System Integration Applications
A wideband dual polarized and dual monopulse array with highly self compact configuration is proposed for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications. To investigate the monopulse performances, a monopulse comparator network integrated with a 16 x 32 antenna array is designed to form a complete monopulse array. In order to realize the complicated monopulse array and avoid the disadvantages from conventional machining methods in manufacturing waveguide structures, a 3 D metal direct printing technique is adopted in this work to obtain better mechanical and electrical performances. Experimental results show that the monopulse array can operate in a wide bandwidth of 12.5% in the Ku band. Port isolation and polarization isolation better than 30 and 45 dB are achieved, respectively. Furthermore, satisfactory monopulse performances in sumand difference patterns are also obtained in the wideband. In particular, a high efficiency of 95% is achieved at the center frequency of the sum patterns, validating the design feasibility and merit of the 3 D printing technique in SAR applications.
IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters