Low-SCS Microstrip Thinned Array

A novel approach to simultaneously achieve low cost, low sidelobe level (SLL), and low scattering cross section (SCS) of a phased array is proposed in this paper, which is a combination method of thinned array and active cancellation techniques. A microstrip thinned linear array is constructed to validate the proposed approach. In the proposed thinned array, the passive elements are made use of and terminated by short circuits with optimized length to cancel out the backward scattering fields of active elements. Furthermore, the locations of passive elements are determined by a multiple dimensional discrete particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) to achieve a low SLL. Numerical study has proved the high radiation performance and low backward scattering characteristics of the proposed array.