Compact Feed for Direction Finding Antenna

ABSTRACT: Traditional interferometry techniques for direction finding require a collection of antennas to uniquely determine angle of arrival. Extending this technique to wide bandwidths often requires a "farm" of apertures and many receivers requiring a large amount of real estate. On airborne platforms, where size and weight are crucial, a more compact, innovative solution that reduces SWAP is thus desirable. On this proposed program, we plan to develop a compact multi-mode antenna to achieve dual-polarized direction finding over a broad field of view within a single aperture.The PolyStrata microfabrication process will be a key enabler of achieving low front-end losses and high functional density in a compact package.; BENEFIT: There are several applications of microwave signal direction finding (DF) that are of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD), including, but not limited to: electronic warfare and signals intelligence, guided missile homing, radio navigation, and search and rescue. The antenna developed on this program will support missions in the 2-18 GHz frequency range, and the general components demonstrated in the PolyStrata technology can be extended to millimeter wave frequencies. The compact antenna developed on this program can be serve as a reflector feed for higher directivity applications.