Efficient Optimization of High-Performance Contoured Beam Reflectarrays with Reusable Surface Shape for Multiple Coverages

This paper describes the design of high-performance contoured beam reflectarrays using a direct optimization technique with an improved optimization engine. In Ku-band, curved reflectarrays allow the reuse of a standard mold for multiple missions and thereby reduce cost and delivery time compared to shaped reflectors. To demonstrate this, two 1.2m curved Tx-Rx contoured beam reflectarrays with the same curved surface have been designed, and by changing the reflectarray elements layout, two different coverages can be generated while maintaining performance that is comparable to that of a shaped reflector. In C-band, a deployable multi-faceted reflectarray can be an alternative solution to generate contoured beams where aperture sizes >3m are needed. To demonstrate this, a 4.5m multi-faceted contoured beam reflectarray has been designed to operate in a 20% bandwidth and dual-circular polarization.

Publication: Proc. 37th ESA Antenna Workshop
Place: ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands