A Ka-Band Transmit Phased-Array Antenna-in-Package for SATCOM-on-the-Move User Terminals

This paper presents a 4x4 Ka-band active transmit phased-array antenna-in-package (AiP) with polarization control for SATCOM-on-the-Move (SOTM) user terminal. The proposed active AiP is modular and scalable. A portable mechanical RF test fixture is presented for the AiP evaluation. It provides solderless RF connection between the RF input and the AiP. The fabricated AiP provides 42 dB of active gain at the boresight and consumes 2.6 W of DC power when all the ports are activated. The measured effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the module is similar to 41 dBm at the 1dB compression point of the active beamformers at the boresight for left-handed circular polarization.