Modified circularly polarised beam steering array antenna by utilised broadband coupler and 4 × 4 butler matrix

Abstract

Among the other features, multiple beam antennas have the advantage of reduced multi‐path fading and co‐channel interference. Because of the outstanding features of the Butler matrices, they have been proposed extensively in recent years as feed networks of the antenna array applications such as broadband and circular polarisation. In this study, a beam steering array antenna composed of a broadband circularly polarised square slot antenna and a novel, Butler matrix feed network designed with a proposed broadband branch‐line coupler is introduced. The results show that a compact and its improvements are discussed. In this study, a broadband double box coupler with impedance bandwidth over 5–7.4 GHz frequency and the phase error less than 3° is employed. Also the measured impedance bandwidth of the proposed beam steering array antenna is 39% (from 4.7 to 7 GHz). The minimum 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth between ports, support 4.55–6.7 GHz frequency range. The measured peak gain of the proposed array antenna is 10.1 dBic that could scan solid angle ∼25 steradian.