Generation of Ka-Band Accelerating and Self-Bending Beam by Series-Fed Patch Array

In this letter, a novel method is proposed to design a Ka-band series-fed antenna that is applied to generate the accelerating and self-bending beam. The leaky-wave feature of the series-fed array is also investigated by the simulation of the unit patch. Fundamental relationship between width and length of the resonant patch is acquired based on the five-unit model. The fabricated prototype is composed of 40 different-size units that control the aperture magnitude. To adjust the phase difference between the two patches, the length of the transmission line is adjusted. Two symmetrically designed series-fed arrays reduce the cross-polarization level. The shape of the beam varies with the frequency from 33 to 36 GHz, and |S11| is below -15 dB in this operating band, which also illustrates the property of frequency scanning. This model can be easily fabricated, and it suggests the realization of the self-bending beam in the microwave band. Meanwhile, the fabricated Ka-band antenna can be easily fed, and it has the advantages of low profile and low cost.