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Studying the nonlinear performance of an amplifying reflectarray antenna

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2016

Iman Aryanian
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15914, Iran
Abdolali Abdipour
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15914, Iran
Gholamreza Moradi*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15914, Iran
*
Corresponding author: G. Moradi Email: ghmoradi@aut.ac.ir
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Abstract

In this paper, significance of studying the nonlinear performance of amplifying reflectarray antenna is clarified by showing nonlinear behavior of the unit cell. Furthermore, the procedure for nonlinear analysis of amplifying reflectarray antenna is described and nonlinear analysis is verified by ADS software simulation. Moreover, a typical amplifying reflectarray antenna is designed considering the nonlinear behavior. Nonlinear analysis of the active aperture-coupled patch unit cell is performed using harmonic balance method considering nonlinear model of the amplifier. Then, the effect of nonlinear element in radiation pattern of the antenna is studied. Passive unit cell is simulated using full-wave analysis method considering infinite array approach, and scattering parameters of the unit cell is obtained. Next, these scattering parameters are transformed to admittance parameters and used in obtaining nonlinear response and harmonic distortion of the unit cell containing amplifier. Obtained results show up to 3.4 dB error in predicting pattern of the antenna with linear modeling of the active element.

Information

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2016 
Figure 0

Fig. 1. (a) Antenna unit cell schematic, (b) four port modeling of the unit cell, and (c) nonlinear simulation of active element.

Figure 1

Table 1. Parameters of the cell.

Figure 2

Fig. 2. (a) Dividing the unit cell to nonlinear and linear networks, (b) biasing network of the amplifier.

Figure 3

Fig. 3. (a) Gain response of the active unit cell by nonlinear analysis, (b) phase response of the active unit cell by nonlinear analysis.

Figure 4

Fig. 4. Harmonic levels versus input power to the active unit cell.

Figure 5

Fig. 5. (a) Relative power imposed by the feed horn antenna on the reflectarray antenna surface, (b) required phase shift of each cell of the antenna based on (A.18).

Figure 6

Fig. 6. Case 1: when feed power is so that active elements are in nonlinear state: (a) supposed power on the antenna surface, (b) gain of each unit cell, (c) phase error of each unit cell.

Figure 7

Fig. 7. Case 2: when feed power is so that active elements are in linear state: (a) supposed power on the antenna surface, (b) gain of each unit cell, (c) phase error of each unit cell.

Figure 8

Fig. 8. (a) Antenna directivity with and without considering the nonlinear effect of active elements when feed power is so that some cells are in nonlinear region, (b) antenna directivity with and without considering the nonlinear effect of active elements when feed power is so that all cells are in linear region.

Figure 9

Table 2. Lost gain versus amount of nonlinearity.

Figure 10

Fig. 9. (a) Phase response of the active unit cell by nonlinear analysis, (b) amplitude response of the active unit cell by nonlinear analysis.

Figure 11

Fig. 10. Nonlinear Statz model of the transistor.

Figure 12

Table A1. Statz model Parameters of ATF36163.

Figure 13

Table A2. Diode parameters.