Dual Polarized Phased Array Antenna Element for SATCOM on the Move Application

Polarization diversity is one of the key requirement for Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) based SATCOM on the move application. Polarization diversity enables polarization tracking which mitigates loss of signal between the satellite and the terminal while on the move. This paper presents a dual polarized cavity backed patch antenna element for a Ku band phased array SATCOM on the move application. The dual polarized aperture coupled Microstrip patch element has a low profile and light weight. The element is designed in an array environment by using EM Simulation Software HFSS. The design of the element incorporates vias around the patch element to emulate a cavity in order to minimize the coupling between the elements. The simulated performance of the dual polarized aperture coupled microstrip patch element in an 8X8 array is presented in this paper.