Lightweight Broadband Phased Array Antenna Based on Ultra-Thin Polyimide Film

A lightweight broadband phased array based on very thin polyimide film is proposed in this letter. Ideally, this proposed array can present a weight reduction of as large as 92% compared with the design of using conventional substrates. A novel uneven wide-angle impedance matching layer is used to enhance the beam scanning capability. To overcome the manufacturing limitations of traditional microstrip lines on thin substrates, this design employs an improved transmission line. The simulation results show that the proposed array operates in a wide band of 2–4 GHz and achieves ±60° scanning range in both the E- and H-planes, with the voltage standing wave ratio lower than 2.5. The lightweight design method and all numerical results are experimentally verified by a 10 × 8 array prototype with 3.9 kg/m
²
areal density.