Phased Array Antenna with Dielectric Phase Shifters

This PhD Thesis entitled, “Phased Array antenna with Dielectric Phase Shifters” presents a candidate for a planar, elegant and simple alternative to replace the parabolic antenna on the roof of your house and that of your neighbours. A parabolic antenna is bulky, has an average weight of 25 kg, and it is usually attached with an arm fixture of an average depth of 30 cm. Unlike the parabolic antenna which represents a large unsightly looking necessity on your roof, or balcony of your house, the planar antenna presented here is elegant and discrete. It is cheaply made with simple lightweight dielectric sheets and is mounted directly as a planar surface on the wall of your house oriented towards the satellite Astra 1M and requires no extra mount fixture. The planar antenna is less subjected to environmental conditions such as wind or hail and must not be constantly readjusted to optimize TV reception.
The proposed antenna is made of 32 by 32 elements of a length and a spacing of half wavelength λ/2 with dielectric phase shifters to orient the main lobe with a 3° beamwidth by 45° in azimuth and from 23° to 43° in elevation. The dielectric phase shifters use a high dielectric constant of εr 10.2 on top of an antenna array with a substrate of εr 2.2. The difference between the high and the low dielectric value on a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feedline requires a maximum length of 18.7 cm for the 32nd antenna element in order to move the main lobe by a maximum of 45°. The CPW feedline is ideal to minimize mutual coupling among antenna elements. The antenna gain is 32 dBi and the beamwidth is 3°. It occupies a total size of 72.25 cm x 40.96 cm x 6.22 cm.
The antenna presented here is targeted for the reception of satellite television in Europe broadcasting from 10.7 to 12.7 GHz. As it consists of frequency independent antenna elements, it can be resized for any desired frequency range in any part of the world. In short, it is a cheap, light, adaptable and discrete design and especially convenient in regions where unsightly parabolic antennas are prohibited.