Angular Scan Enhancement of Ka-Band Circularly Polarized Phased Array Using Dielectric Dome

This paper introduces a dielectric dome designed to enhance the angular scan of a circularly polarized phased array antenna at 29 GHz, while reducing broadside loss. The dome was created using a straightforward calculation-based approach. An $8\times 8$ circularly polarized dome antenna array was simulated to showcase the scalability of the proposed dome antenna array. However, a $4\times 4$ circularly polarized dielectric dome antenna array was manufactured and tested as a proof-of-concept. The proposed dielectric dome extends the angular scan range of a standalone circularly polarized phased array antenna from 40 degrees to 50 degrees with a 2.4 dB broadside transmission loss. Additionally, the depolarization effects of the dome were studied, revealing that the dome also improves the 3-dB axial ratio scanning range of the phased array antenna from 38 degrees to 50 degrees. Thus, the proposed dome antenna array achieves significant angular scan enhancement and moderate broadside loss using a homogeneous material, and compares favorably with the current state-of-the-art technology. This study also provides valuable insights into the depolarization effects of an angular scan-enhancing dome for the first time. The proposed dome antenna array could be a promising option for B5G/6G non-terrestrial network user terminals.