Accelerating Array Antenna Design: Fast, Full-Wave Simulation on Your Laptop
As modern communications and Earth observation systems evolve, the demand for compact, high-performance antennas continues to grow. In the new era of satellite constellations such as Starlink, and with a quest for flat-panel portable user terminals, flexible satellite payloads, 6G wireless communications, and advanced radar systems, phased-array antennas have become indispensable.
Why array antennas?
An array antenna is a collection of basic radiators where excitation amplitudes and phases of the individual elements of the array constitute degrees of freedom that can be exploited for steering, scanning, and shaping the array antenna radiation pattern. Array antennas are generally flat and thus easy to integrate onto satellites, airplanes, vehicles, and ships. Together with their functional flexibility, this makes them ideal candidates for a plethora of modern antenna applications.
Simulation of 1024-element array antenna. Inspired by NASA JPL’s high-gain antenna for a potential Europa lander.
The Need for Accurate Simulation
For larger flexibility and to ensure low-power and stable communication links, electrically large antenna arrays are required.
Today, approximate synthesis methods that do not account accurately for mutual coupling between the elements of a large finite array are adopted, which makes array antenna development slow and costly and prone to trial-and-error development cycles.
TICRA’s Response to Simulation Challenges
To address the limitations of existing methods, TICRA has initiated several activities, some with support from the European Space Agency, to develop a dedicated software tool for accurate analysis and design of large array antennas.
At TICRA, we understand the need for reliable and efficient simulations of complex array antennas, and that supercomputers are not practical for your everyday design work.
Our dedicated research has resulted in methods that enable many full-wave array simulations to be performed on laptops — making it possible to incorporate accurate analysis into the design process from virtually anywhere. This is particularly valuable during early design stages or when assessing moderately sized arrays.
For larger or more complex arrays, where computational demands exceed the capabilities of a laptop, our solutions allow you to do more on a single workstation, than you can do with a competing method on a high-performance computing cluster or supercomputer. This ensures that even challenging electromagnetic simulations can be performed accurately and efficiently.
Our simulation tools are designed to support a broad range of applications, including satellite systems (GEO, MEO, and LEO), flat panel user terminals, 5G and 6G wireless communication systems, as well as defence and radar systems. By focusing on fine-tuned and dedicated computational methods.
TICRA’s Magnus Brandt-Møller and Erik Jørgensen
These novel full-wave algorithms will pave the way for the design and optimisation of next-generation flexible array antennas
Erik Jørgensen, Principal Technical Advisor at TICRA, says: “These novel full-wave algorithms will pave the way for the design and optimisation of next-generation flexible array antennas, allowing us to do things which are not possible with the approximate design methods.”
Related Reading:
A Fast Direct Solver for Higher-Order Basis Functions
Analysis and Design of Large Array Antennas Using a Fast Direct Solver
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