Introduction. Large-size phased antenna arrays (PAA) frequently incorporate optical excitation schemes, whose main elements include the feed and the reflective aperture. In turn, the reflective aperture consists of several tens of thousands of radiators and phase shifters. Major distortions of the radiation pattern in reflective arrays occur due to phase errors, leading to a decrease in the gain and an increase in the side lobes of the radiation pattern. In the millimeter wavelength range, ferrite phase shifters can have an initial phase from 0 to 360 °, thus requiring measurements of the array elements following their assembly.Aim. To develop a method for evaluating errors in measurements of the parameters of phase shifters incorporated in an antenna array by comparing theoretical and experimental data.Materials and methods. A convenient method for determining the parameters of phase shifters is probing, in which a movable probe is connected in series with each array element. In cases where a PAA element represents a single structure consisting of a ferrite segment and a dielectric radiator, measurements are carried out using a probe in the form of a segment of a round waveguide moving towards the radiator. In order to evaluate the measurement error of such a scheme, a mechanically controlled reference phase shifter was used.Results. Measurement errors for the probe structure used were calculated based on the assumption of the phase error arising from the vector addition of the controlled and uncontrolled reflected signals at the input of the PAA element, in the section of the reference plane at the input of the probe. In addition, the S-parameters of the superposition section were calculated. The extrema of the error function were used to determine the maximum errors in measuring the phase and amplitude.Conclusion. The performed analysis confirmed the validity of the proposed method for measuring the parameters of phase shifters using a waveguide probe. The measurement error of the PAA elements according to the proposed scheme was found to be about 3 o, which is commensurate with that of recording devices.
Effects on phased arrays radiation pattern due to phase error distribution in the phase shifter operation
