Microwave lenses support low-phase error, wideband, wide-angle scanning, and true-time delay (TTD) beam forming. They provide ideal performance for applications such as satellites, remote-piloted vehicles, collision-avoidance radars and ultra-wideband communications systems. The emerging printed lenses in recent years have facilitated the advancement of designing high performance but low-profile, light-weight, and small-size beam-forming networks (BFNs). The microwave lens adopts a few beam ports to illuminate the prescribed receiving ports that feed energy into radiating antennas. Multi-beam patterns can be achieved by exciting multiple beam ports at a time. The design process starts with path-length equations from a limited number of beam-port foci assumptions. This constraint does not take into account the amplitude information; however, it allows an initial lens geometry to be solved. The resulted scanning angle of microwave lens is limited by the beam port contour, as such ± 90 degrees. In this dissertation, three contributions are made from the aspects of minimized phase errors, accurate and efficient simulation algorithms, and 360-degree scanning range extension. First, a minimum-phase-error, non-focal lens design method is proposed. It does not require a specific number of foci along the beam contour; however, minimum phase errors for all beam ports are able to be achieved. The proposed method takes into account flexible prescribed geometrical design parameters, and adopts numerical optimization algorithms to perform phase error minimization. Numerical results compared with the published tri-focal and quadru-focal lenses demonstrate the merits of the proposed method. Second, an accurate and fast simulation method for the microwave lens has been developed to predict the phase, amplitude, array factor, and power efficiency performance. The proposed method is compared to both full-wave simulation and measurement. Comparable results have been achieved. Third, a novel method for a 360-degree scanning microwave lens is proposed. This concept uses the beam ports and the receive ports in an interleaving sequence such that adjacent ports alternate beam and receive functions. The result is a lens that produces scanned beams on opposite sides of the structure resulting in a 360-degree scanning range. The structure can use multiple opposing facets or continuous circular-port and radiating-element contours. To prove the concept, a four-facet microstrip lens has been designed, simulated, fabricated, and tested. The comparison between full-wave simulation and measurement has demonstrated good agreement. / Ph. D.

Les réseaux d’alimentation d’antennes multifaisceaux sont un sous-système particulièrement important dans la mesure où ils permettent de réutiliser une même ouverture rayonnante pour l’ensemble des faisceaux à produire. Ces solutions trouvent naturellement application dans le spatial, l’espace disponible pour aménager des antennes étant fortement contraint sur les satellites. Plusieurs solutions de réseaux d’alimentation sont disponibles dans la littérature, incluant des structures quasi-optique ou lentilles et des structures guidées. Nous avons approfondie cette deuxième catégorie en étudiant différentes solutions, incluant les matrices de Blass, de Butler, de Nolen, ainsi que des structures à lois de phase uniformes. En particulier, un mode de dimensionnement des matrices de Nolen, défini comme un cas particulier asymptotique d’un algorithme de dimensionnement de matrices de Blass, a été proposé et validé expérimentalement en bande S. La flexibilité du dimensionnement des matrices de Nolen proposé a été exploitée pour concevoir une matrice à distribution d’amplitude non-uniforme, afin de réduire le niveau des lobes secondaires. Enfin, le caractère dispersif d’une alimentation en série a été utilisé pour rendre le pointage angulaire du faisceau produit par une antenne réseau linéaire indépendant de la fréquence de fonctionnement et pourrait être étendu à des matrices de Blass et Nolen. Des structures à lois de phase uniformes et à distribution d’amplitudes uniforme et gaussienne ont été approfondies, afin de mettre en évidence notamment le niveau de pertes intrinsèques. La structure à distribution d’amplitude gaussienne a été modifiée pour l’adapter à des applications d’antennes réseaux circulaires. L’ensemble des informations regroupées dans ce mémoire permet d’identifier la topologie de réseau d’alimentation la mieux adaptée à une application donnée. Une combinaison de différents concepts peut s’avérer une bonne solution dans certains cas. / Beam forming networks for multiple beam antennas are a very important antenna sub-system as they enable to reuse the same radiating aperture to produce all the beams. These solutions naturally find application in space as stringent accommodation constraints on board of satellites ask for space saving. Several concepts are available in the literature, including quasi-optic solutions and guided wave solutions. We investigated on this second category, including namely Blass, Butler and Nolen matrices as well as beam forming networks producing uniform phase distribution. In particular, we proposed a designed method, defined as an asymptotic singular case of a more general Blass matrix design procedure. Experimental validation was carried out with a specific design in S-band. Flexibility on the design of Nolen matrix has been used to generate non-uniform amplitude distribution to reduce side-lobe level. Also, natural phase dispersion of a serial feeding network has been used to produce frequency independent beam pointing linear arrays with potential application to Blass and Nolen matrices. Beam forming networks with uniform phase distribution associated to uniform and Gaussian amplitude distributions were also investigated, in particular to highlight the level of the intrinsic losses. The structure with Gaussian amplitude distribution was also modified to be adapted to circular array antennas. All this information should help to identify the best suited beam forming network concept for a given application. In some particular cases, a combination of different concepts can even be considered.

This thesis reports the analysis of the rectangular shaped defected ground structure (RS-DGS) and the application of the structure on some microwave devices. DGS is analyzed in terms of its superior properties, which enables the designers to easily realize many kind of microwave devices which are impossible to achieve with the standard applications. Within the scope of this thesis, the focus is on the rectangular shaped DGS and its characteristic properties. The basic slow wave and high impedance characteristics are utilized in the design of some microwave devices. The design is carried on at the two different frequency bands: X-band and Ka band, centering at 10 GHz and 35 GHz, respectively. Finally, using the high impedance property and the coupling between the defects, a wide band 1 : 4 beam forming network is designed and implemented at 10 GHz.

This thesis deals with optical synthesis of unmodulated and modulated microwave signals. Generation of microwave signals based on optical heterodyning is discussed in detail. The effect of phase noise of laser on heterodyned output has been studied for different phase noise profiles. Towards this, we propose a generic algorithm to numerically model the linewidth broadening of a laser due to phase noise. Generation of microwave signals is demonstrated practically by conducting an optical heterodyning experiment. Signals ranging in frequency from 12.5 MHz to 27 GHz have been generated. Limitations of optical heterodyning based approach in terms of phase noise performance and frequency stability are discussed and practically demonstrated. A hardware-efficient Optical Phase Locked Loop (OPLL) is proposed to overcome these issues. Phase noise tracking performance of the proposed OPLL has been experimentally demonstrated. Phase noise values as low as -105 dBc/Hz at 10 KHz offset have been achieved. Optical modulators, owing to their extremely low electro-optic response time, can support high frequency modulating signals. This makes them highly attractive in comparison to their microwave counterparts. In this thesis, we propose techniques to generate microwave signals modulated at very high bit rates by down-converting the corresponding modulated optical signals to microwave domain. Down-conversion required for this process is achieved by optical heterodyning. The proposed concept has been theoretically analyzed, simulated and experimentally validated. Amplitude Modulated and ASK modulated microwave signals have been generated as Proof-of-Concept. Limitations posed by OPLL in generation of angle modulated microwave signals by optical heterodyning have been brought out. Schemes overcoming these limitations have been proposed towards generation of BPSK and QPSK modulated microwave signals. Integrated Optics (IO) technology has been studied as a means of implementation of the proposed concepts. IO components like Sinusoidal bends, Y-branch splitters and Electro-Optic-Modulators (EOMs) have been designed towards optical synthesis of modulated microwave signals. Propagation of modulated optical signal through these IO components has also been studied. An all-optic scheme based on Optical Beam Forming is proposed for transmission of QPSK modulated signal. Limitation of phase-shifting based approach, in terms of beam-squint, has been brought out. True-Time-Delay based approach has been proposed for applications demanding wide instantaneous bandwidth to avoid beam-squint. Algorithms / numerical methods required for analyses and simulations associated with the above-mentioned tasks have been evolved. This study is envisaged to provide useful insight into the realization of high-speed, compact, light-weight data transmitting systems based on Integrated Optics for future onboard spacecraft applications. This work, we believe, is a step towards realization of an Integrated Optic System-on-Chip solution for specific microwave data transmission applications.