Small Multi-Decade Communication Antenna

A novel anisotropic artificial dielectric material is proposed for integration into airborne antennas to achieve size and weight reduction, along with reduced radar cross section (RCS). Development of the lightweight and low loss material will be based on frequency selective surface technology, where a homogeneous block of dielectric material can be replaced with an electrically equivalent lamination of circuit boards and foam. The material will be incorporated into a spiral antenna to increase the permittivity in the plane of the spiral while maintaining a low permittivity normal to the spiral. The concept will be demonstrated by designing, fabricating, and testing a spiral antenna that operates over a multi-decade bandwidth in the 100-20,000 MHz frequency range and is suitably small and lightweight for integration onto a low-RCS tactical aircraft.