Manipulation of grating lobes by changing element shape

Abstract

In this paper we present two approaches to manipulate the positions and levels of grating lobes in linear arrays by modifying the element shape. The first approach is to push the grating lobes outside the imaging plane in elevation direction by using skewed elements. The second approach is to use interwoven element (cut in a zig-zag fashion) to move the zero in the radiation pattern of the individual elements closer to the main lobe relative to the position of the first grating lobe. The performance of the suggestied designs is evaluated using simulations in Field II. The suppression of grating lobes is 20 dB for the interwoven elements. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.