Low-Profile High-Efficiency Dual-CP ME-Dipole Radiator With a Planar-Patterned Folded-Sheet Geometry for Ku-Band SATCOM Terminals

This letter proposes a low-profile dual-circularly polarized (CP) magneto-electric (ME) dipole radiator based on a planar-patterned folded-sheet metallic geometry for Ku-band satellite communication (SATCOM) terminals. The proposed all-metal aperture enables dual-CP ME-dipole operation without auxiliary radiating parts or multipart radiator assembly. The proposed antenna is further evaluated as an array through an 8×8 prototype. The fabricated array demonstrates LHCP/RHCP operation, a peak array gain of 25 dBic, and two-dimensional beam scanning of approximately ±48^∘in both principal planes. These results verify that the proposed folded-sheet ME-dipole radiator can provide a compact, high-antenna-efficiency, and scalable dual-CP unit-cell solution for Ku-band SATCOM phased-array terminals.