On the Bandwidth of High-Impedance Frequency Selective Surfaces

In this letter, the bandwidth of high-impedance surfaces (HISs) is discussed by an equivalent circuit approach. Even if these surfaces have been employed for almost 10 years, it is sometimes unclear how to choose the shape of the frequency selective surface (FSS) on the top of the grounded slab in order to achieve the largest possible bandwidth. Here, we will show that the conventional approach describing the HIS as a parallel connection between the inductance given by the grounded dielectric substrate and the capacitance of the FSS may induce inaccurate results in the determination of the operating bandwidth of the structure. Indeed, in order to derive a more complete model and to provide a more accurate estimate of the operating bandwidth, it is also necessary to introduce the series inductance of the FSS.We will present the explicit expression for defining the bandwidth of a HIS, and we will show that the reduction of the FSS inductance results in the best choice for achieving wide operating bandwidth in correspondence with a given frequency.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

A Circuit-based Model for the Interpretation of Perfect Metamaterial Absorbers

A popular absorbing structure, often referred to as Perfect Metamaterial Absorber, comprising metallic periodic pattern over a thin low-loss grounded substrate is studied by resorting to an efficient transmission line model. This approach allows the derivation of simple and reliable closed formulas describing the absorption mechanism of the subwavelength structure. The analytic form of the real part of the input impedance is explicitly derived in order to explain why moderate losses of the substrate is sufficient to achieve matching with free space, that is, perfect absorption. The effect of the constituent parameters for tuning the working frequency and tailoring the absorption bandwidth is addressed. It is also shown that the choice of highly capacitive coupled elements allows obtaining the largest possible bandwidth whereas a highly frequency selective design is achieved with low capacitive elements like a cross array. Finally, the angular stability of the absorbing structure is investigated.Comment: Accepted for publication on IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagatio

Design of Subwavelength Tunable and Steerable Fabry-Perot/Leaky Wave Antennas

The design of a thin tunable and steerable Fabry-Perot antenna is presented. The subwavelength structure is analyzed both by an efficient transmission line model and by full-wave simulations. The tunable antenna consists of a low profile resonant cavity made up of a Partially Reflecting Surface (PRS) placed in close proximity of a tunable high-impedance surface. The active ground plane is synthesized by loading the high-impedance surface with varactor diodes. Such design allows both tuning the high-gain operational frequency and obtaining a beam steering/shaping for each resonant frequency. The transmission line model here presented includes averaged analytical expressions for modelling the tunable high-impedance surface and the partially reflecting surface. All the theoretical speculations are verified by full-wave simulations on a finite size structur

Closed-Form Analysis of Reflection Losses in Microstrip Reflectarray Antennas

Microstrip reflectarray antennas consist of a grounded quasi-periodic array of printed elements able to compensate the phase displacement of a non-coherent electromagnetic excitation generated by a feeder. The design of reflectarray antennas is usually accomplished by tracing the reflection phase diagram of the periodic version of the printed surface, which is analogous to a high-impedance surface (HIS). Reflection losses of this periodic structure are here analyzed through a simple equivalent transmission line model. The analytical expressions of the surface impedance offered by a HIS (real and imaginary part) as a function of the imaginary part of the dielectric permittivity of the substrate are derived through well justified approximations. Some useful practical examples are then presented both for verifying the accuracy of the derived closed-form expressions and for studying the effect of the geometrical and electrical parameters of the periodic surface on the reflection losses. The dependence of the input impedance on the capacitance associated with the printed pattern is highlighted, demonstrating that highly capacitive elements (tightly coupled subwavelength elements) are preferable for minimizing reflection losses

A Frequency Selective Radome With Wideband Absorbing Properties

A frequency selective radome is presented, acting as a pass band filter at a given frequency band, while behaving as an absorber above the transmission band. The pass band behavior is obtained by a metallic FSS realized through a compact interdigitated Jerusalem cross element characterized by a very large rejection band. The metallic FSS is used as the ground plane of a thin wideband absorber based on resistive high-impedance surfaces within the total reflection band. The outer absorber reduces the signature of the antenna system when the radome is illuminated by out of band signals. The resistive FSS which comprises the absorber is designed so to minimize losses within the transmitting band of the radome. The composite structure is thoroughly analyzed by an efficient equivalent circuit approach and by full-wave numerical simulations

Analysis and Design of Ultra Thin Electromagnetic Absorbers Comprising Resistively Loaded High Impedance Surfaces

High-Impedance Surfaces (HIS) comprising lossy Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) are employed to design thin electromagnetic absorbers. The structure, despite its typical resonant behavior, is able to perform a very wideband absorption in a reduced thickness. Losses in the frequency selective surface are introduced by printing the periodic pattern through resistive inks and hence avoiding the typical soldering of a large number of lumped resistors. The effect of the surface resistance of the FSS and dielectric substrate characteristics on the input impedance of the absorber is discussed by means of a circuital model. It is shown that the optimum value of surface resistance is affected both by substrate parameters (thickness and permittivity) and by FSS element shape. The equivalent circuit model is then used to introduce the working principles of the narrowband and the wideband absorbing structure and to derive the best-suited element for wideband absorption. Finally, the experimental validation of the presented structures is presented.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure

Normalization-Free Chipless RFIDs by Using Dual-Polarized Interrogation

A reliable encoding/detection scheme for chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, free from any normalization procedure, is presented. The key strategy of the present approach consists in storing the information in the difference between vertically and horizontally polarized reflection coefficients of a completely passive tag. The measured reflection coefficients are preemptively filtered in the time domain to remove most of harmful effects due to the antenna coupling and environment multipath, and finally they are subtracted to obtain the differential response. A couple of chipless tag configurations suitable for providing the desired spectral response are presented. The resonators consist of an artificial impedance surface comprising either concentric rectangular loop resonators or square loop resonators loaded with stubs. The presented approach is experimentally verified in a non-anechoic environment, and its robustness is proved. This calibration-free approach could pave the way to practical applicability of chipless RFID tags in realistic scenarios with unknown response

Theory, design and perspectives of electromagnetic wave absorbers

Electromagnetic absorbers for free space and cavity absorption are discussed. Classical configurations are described as well as more recent designs. The presented layouts are able to provide absorbing behaviors spanning from ultra-narrow band to ultra-wideband. A comparison among various solutions is presented both in terms of achievable bandwidth and in terms of minimum theoretical thickness. The problem of cavity resonances is also addressed. It is shown that resonances can be damped by using alternative solutions with respect to the classic use of lossy magnetic materials

Wideband radar cross section reduction of slot antennas arrays

A comprehensive analysis aimed at reducing the radar cross section (RCS) of array antennas, preserving at the same time their radiating performance, is presented. A microstrip slot array is considered as a test case to illustrate the proposed strategy for radar cross section reduction (RCSR). It is shown that a remarkable reduction of the radar signature can be accomplished over a frequency band as wide as two octaves by employing an array of periodic resistive elements in front of the radiating apertures. The monostatic and bistatic RCS of the proposed structures are investigated both for normal and oblique incidence. Different arrangements and geometries of the periodic resistive pattern are thoroughly analyzed showing the benefits and the drawbacks in terms of antenna gain and level of the scattered fields. Furthermore, the use of metallic parasitic elements for enhancing the antenna gain is considered, and the scattering phenomena caused by their presence are addressed, taking into account the appearance of grating lobes. The antenna designs are also analyzed by resorting to a bidimensional color plot presenting the variation of the reradiated field both in frequency and spatial domain. The guidelines illustrated by the proposed examples can be easily applied to other antenna architectures