Ultra-wideband frequency selective surface based tightly coupled dipole array with integrated balun

An ultra-wideband and wide-scan tightly coupled dipoles array based on frequency selective surface (FSS) is proposed, and the traditional wide-angle scan impedance matching dielectric layer is replaced by FSS with printed metal strips to achieve the tuning of the scanning impedance of the array. Additionally, the metal strip FSS, dipole radiating elements and feeding structure are all printed on the same printed circuit board, and the whole design is highly integrated. Finally, a low-cost lightweight single-polarization tightly coupled antenna array with ultra-wide band and wide scan performance is presented. Subject to the criterion of active Voltage standing Wave ratio(VSWR) < 3, beam scanning coverage of & PLUSMN;45 & DEG; along E plane, H plane and D plane can be accomplished within the frequency band range across 0.4-2 GHz. An array prototype was produced and tested, and the results showed that the effectiveness of the design was well validated.