One method of developing PESAs that has received a significant attention in recent years is the use of reconfigurable metasurfaces and sub-wavelength periodic structures to perform beam steering. These devices consist of periodic or quasi-periodic electromagnetic structures whose responses can be electronically tuned using electronic switches, varactor diodes, or numerous other means. Developing phased-array antennas at microwave and millimeter-wave frequency bands is one of the application areas that has motivated the development of these structures.
In light of the significant growth in the development of silicon-based T/R modules, an interesting question arises: What is the future role of reconfigurable metasurfaces in phased-array antenna development? In this presentation, I answer this question based on our team’s experiences working on developing electronically reconfigurable periodic structures for phased-array applications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW). I will first present an overview of the state-of-the-art in passive and active phased-array antenna design and provide a brief description of electromagnetic wavefront manipulation with EM periodic structures. Then I will discuss the characteristics of the applications where PESAs can compete well with AESAs. I will then present two specific applications that have motivated our work in this area in recent years. These include very-high-power radar, electronic warfare, and wireless communications on the move applications.
Nader Behdad received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2000 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Currently he is the McFarland-Bascom Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Behdad’s research expertise is in the area of applied electromagnetics with particular focus on electrically small antennas, phased-array antennas, bio-electromagnetics, microwave ablation, microwave periodic structures, and high-power microwaves. He has 23 issued or pending U.S. patents in these areas. Dr. Behdad has served as a consultant on topics related to designing antennas and phased arrays to industry. He has also served as a consultant and an expert witness for different U.S. law firms on topics related to intellectual property disputes as well as cell phone record analysis and historical cell site analysis. Over the years, Dr. Behdad’s research has been sponsored by various U.S. Federal agencies including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, National Science Foundation, and the Defense Health Agency.