A 3-D Metal Printed Folded-Shorted Patch Array with an Integrated Feeding Circuit Offering Dual-Band Circularly Polarised Radiation for CubeSat Applications

Yuepei Li, Jiayu Rao, Lei Wang, Yuan Ding, Symon Podilchak*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

This letter presents a three-dimensional (3-D) printed metallic antennaarray that combines folded-shorted patches (FSPs) and meandering forstructure compactness. The design provides dual-band functionality,operating in the L-band and the S-band. The compact and broadbandfeeding network, which is also integrated onto the backside of the antenna ground plane, enables circularly polarised radiation over an operational bandwidth of more than 80%. The dimensions of the array are 0.4 × 0.4 × 0.056 λ3 (where λ is the free space wavelength at 1.2 GHz), making the design suitable for CubeSats and other space constraint applications. The measured right-handed circular polarised realised gains are 2.32 dBic and 1.84 dBic at 1.2 GHz and 2.45 GHz, respectively. In addition, the 3-D metallic printed FSP elements can be flexibly arranged for different link requirements and other applicationslike beam steering.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages5
JournalElectronics Letters
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 28 Aug 2023

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