LOW-PROFILE BROADBAND RADIATING ELEMENTS

Wang-Tripp Corporation (WTC) proposes a six-month Phase I exploratory research effort to determine the feasiblity of a low-profile array element for the Navy's active, electronically-steered array (AESA) antenna. The best current broadband elements (flared notches) require about two inches of depth including integrated circulators, but a depth of less than one inch is needed. The elements msut cover the band from 2 to 18 GHz, pre-dual polarization, and cost less than $100 each in production with integral circulators. Phase I of the program will develop the design approach for the element and circulator and conduct computer performance simulations as well as experimentation. The basic approach to the radiating element will be the spiral-mode microstrip (SSM) antenna, newly invented by the proposed researchers (Patent 5, 313, 216). This antenna has already been demonstrated to pr? the necessary bandwidth using much lsess than the one inch of depth. The primary effort will be to make the antennas work over this band in and environment and to identify appropriate circulator technology.