An FSS-Backed Ku/Ka Quad-Band Reflectarray Antenna for Satellite Communications

A shared aperture quad-band high-gain reflectarray antenna (RA) is proposed. It has a stacked structure consisting of a Ka-band dual-band circularly polarized RA, a Ku-band wideband linearly polarized RA, and a triband double-screen frequency-selective surface in between. It is able to simultaneously transmit and receive signals at both Ku- and Ka-bands. A prototype with a circular aperture of 400 mm in diameter is designed, fabricated, and tested for experimental verification. The measured gains are 31 dBi at 12.5 GHz, 32 dBi at 14.25 GHz, 36.1 dBic at 20.4 GHz, and 39.4 dBic at 30.2 GHz, respectively, and the corresponding aperture efficiencies are 45.6%, 44%, 56%, and 54.8%, respectively. The radiation performance demonstrated in this communication validates the feasibility of the proposed quad-band RA design for the future satellite communications at both Ku- and Ka-bands.