Aperture efficiency analysis of reflectarray antennas

Abstract

In the design procedure of a reflectarray antenna system, the aperture efficiency needs to be first analyzed to forecast the system performance. This article investigates the effects of the reflectarray configuration parameters on the antenna aperture efficiency. A general approach is introduced to calculate the spillover efficiency of a reflectarray with arbitrarily shaped aperture and feed scheme. Meanwhile, the illumination efficiency of the reflectarray is analyzed with a unified set of equations. On the basis of these derivations, parametric studies are performed to provide design guidelines for optimizing the aperture efficiency of reflectarray antennas. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.