IETE Journal of Research
In this paper, a low-profile and broadband array antenna is proposed for satellite downlink applications. The proposed antenna is comprised of 4 × 4 elements, which are yielded for the downlink of the C band from 3.7 to 4.8 GHz. By arranging frequency selective surface (FSS) unit cells according to a new architecture, high directivity and broadband are provided, in which each element is covered by a lattice of 3 × 3 periodic metal plates. Based on RO4350B, the final design with a total size of 180 × 180 × 3.175 mm3 (2.38λ × 2.38λ × 0.04λ at the lowest frequency of 3.97 GHz) has been fabricated, measured, and witnessed a broadband characteristic with S11 < −10 dB of 36% (3.97–5.5 GHz). In addition, the proposed antenna achieves a peak gain of 16 dBi and a radiation efficiency of 71%
