Design and synthesis of flexible switching 1 × 2 antenna array on Kapton substrate

Flexible front- and back-end RF/analogue system antennas were recently emerged. However, little flexible antenna system design is available so far, in planar hybrid technology with surface mounted components. This paper describes the design feasibility of flexible switching 1 × 2 antenna array system. It acts as a switching antenna implemented in hexapole configuration. The system is comprised of a key element RF switch terminated by two identical patch antennas associated to half-wave elementary transmission lines (TLs). A detailed theory illustrating the global S-parameter model determination in function of the given RF-switch return and insertion losses is established. In difference to the conventional microwave circuit theory, the proposed equivalent S-parameter model is originally built with the non-standard optimized antenna load. Thus, the synthesis method of the terminal antenna input impedance and the output access line characteristic impedance is formulated in function of the specified return and optimal transmission losses. The design method and theoretical approach feasibility is verified with the demonstrator of flexible switching 1 × 2 antenna array printed on Kapton substrate. The circuit prototype is implemented in hybrid planar technology integrating patch antenna operating at about 6 GHz and a packaged GaAs RF switch associated to the RF/DC signal decoupling accessory mounted surface components. Simulations of the designed circuit transmission and isolation losses from 5.5 GHz to 7 GHz were carried out by using the commercial RF switch S-parameter touchstone model provided by the manufacturer. The simulated and measured return losses are compared and discussed. Then, the measured radiation patterns confirm the proposed switched antenna concept feasibility.