Infrared phased‐array antenna

Phased addition of currents from multiple dipole antennas is demonstrated for the first time at a wavelength of 10.6 μm. Coplanar strip lines are used to interconnect the antennas, preserving the phase of the individual infrared-frequency currents, which are summed together at a common bolometric load. Angular pattern measurements on two-element dipole arrays show that the direction of maximum response depends on the phase difference between the currents contributed from each antenna, evaluated at the bolometer location. As more antennas are added together in phase, beam narrowing is observed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 719–723, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23213