The design makes use of an equivalent circuit representation of the whole array, rigorously taking into account slot mutual couplings by means of the active impedance concept. For a prescribed central frequency and scanning angle, the offsets and lengths of all slots of the array are computed with a fast optimization algorithm in such a way that the mutual coupling effects are automatically compensated to produce the desired slot excitations and the desired input impedances.
Design module main features are:
- Rectangular waveguide, SIW and single-ridge waveguide technologies supported
- Resonant and traveling-wave slotted waveguide arrays design is possible
- Internal and external mutual coupling effects rigorously taken into account
- Automatic compensation of higher-order mode coupling between inclined coupling slots and radiating slots
- Wedge diffraction effects on mutual coupling are taken into account
- Flared/baffled slotted waveguide array design and analysis is possible
- The assumption of periodic boundary conditions is possible (the array is modeled as an infinite periodic structure)
- Dielectric and metal losses considered
- Slotted waveguide can be fed from one side or from the center
- Subarray can be made of sub-subarrays with arbitrary number of slots
- Optimization for a given scanning angle and central frequency
- Tapered aperture excitations (Chebyshev, Taylor, etc.)
- Shaped beam synthesis (arbitrary complex slot voltage distribution)
- Slotted waveguide array layout can be exported in DXF format