Broadside Scanning Asymmetric SIW LWA With Consistent Gain and Reduced Sidelobe

In this paper, a backward-to-forward continuous beam scanning leaky wave antenna is presented in substrate integrated waveguide technology. The antenna radiates from a continuous longitudinal slot etched on its broad wall. The slot is excited by using periodic H-plane steps. An impedance matched unit cell structure is used to suppress the open stopband in the broadside direction. Bloch wave analysis is used to obtain the propagation characteristics of the antenna. However, due to radiation being obtained only from the shunt-type radiating element, namely, the longitudinal slot, a gain dip is observed in the broadside direction. Transversal asymmetry is then introduced in the structure to eliminate the gain dip and obtain the consistent gain. A prototype of the antenna is fabricated and measured. Continuous beam scanning is achieved from −29º to +30º about the broadside direction with a gain variation of less than 2 dB over 8.0–12.4 GHz. A measured peak gain of 16.1 dBi is obtained. Key structural design parameters of the antenna are identified for controlling the leakage rate. Next, Taylor tapered aperture illumination is used to obtain low sidelobe level (SLL). The Taylor tapered antenna is also fabricated with the measured SLL below −21 dB.