A Dynamic Beamforming at 5.4 GHz: Design and Validation of an Integrated Metasurface Reflectarray-Horn Antenna System for Wireless Communications

Abstract

This paper presents the comprehensive design, analysis, and evaluation of a metasurface reflectarray structure integrated with a feeding horn antenna specifically tailored for 5.4 GHz wireless communications, especially for beamforming applications. The reflectarray is modelled as a 10 × 10 array size comprising 100 individual unit cells, and each cell is equipped with a control varicap utilized for manipulating the reflection phase and generating variously reflected beamformers. A broadband horn antenna, meticulously designed to feed the reflectarray, is also modelled and analysed at the operating frequency. Integrating both the horn antenna and designed reflectarray creates beam control through the dynamic variation of reverse biasing voltage applied to capacitors located on each unit cell. The scientific importance of the electronically tunable reflectarray design is the technical requirement of controlling the reflected beams, for the realization of flat panel satellite communication systems demanding flexible beamforming capabilities. The designed reflectarray has been fabricated and experimentally validated by the free space measurements to confirm the design approach. The radiation pattern characteristics under different reflection configurations exhibit excellent agreement with the simulated results, providing robust evidence of the reflectarray's performance. The successful experimental validation reinforces the potential of this integrated system, promising greater flexibility and performance for future communication systems that require advanced beam-steering capabilities.