Title: Increasing the Affordability of Phased Array Apertures with Additive Manufacturing
Abstract : Active Electronically Scanned Arrays (AESAs) provide unprecedented agile, multi-function capabilities for radar, communications, and EW systems. The radiating aperture is a critical component of every AESA antenna system and the latest trends call for designs that support a wide bandwidth, wide field of view, and polarization diversity. The tapered slot (or Vivaldi) antenna is one of the well-known, “go to” elements for these demanding requirements. Arrays covering multi-octave bandwidths and large scan volumes have been reported and demonstrated. Their construction is traditionally based on printed circuit board (PCB) and/or metal machining technology, and a single array may be comprised of dozens or hundreds of individual components.
This talk will describe a new realization of the tapered slot antenna, called the Broadband Additively Manufactured Array Antenna (BAMAA). It exhibits comparable performance to a traditional tapered slot array (TSA) while offering a significant simplification in construction. Its novel architecture, which enables a simple one-piece design, must be fabricated using additive manufacturing (AM). The use of AM in the fabrication of BAMAA also provides the benefits of a dramatic reduction in cost, fabrication time, and touch labor versus traditional PCB or machined metal TSA designs. Additionally, the nature of its structure opens the design trade space for a high level of integration with system platforms. The focus of this talk will be placed on presenting details of the architecture, prototype testing, manufacturability, and applications.