Design of a Novel X-band Slotted Waveguide Antenna Array with TE20 Mode Feeding

Abstract

The Slotted Waveguide Antenna Array (SWAA) was introduced since the decade of 40s. This type of antenna array is well known by its reliability and ability to handle large amounts of power and high operating frequencies, so that the SWAA is commonly used as a part of radar systems. This research paper studies the design of a novel X‒band Slotted Waveguide Antenna Array (SWAA) which is excited by TE20 mode. The radiation characteristics of TE20 mode excited SWAA are compared with conventionally designed TE10 mode excited SWAA. The CST Microwave Studio (CST MWS) simulation results show that the SWAA with TE20 mode feeding features high bandwidth, narrow beamwidth, and high gain as compared with TE10 mode fed SWAA. Feeding the SWAA by using TE20 mode instead of TE10 mode results in increasing the bandwidth by 5.7 %, decreasing the beamwidth by 30˚, and improving the antenna array gain by 2.2 dBi higher than the obtained gain with TE10 mode feeding.