Design and Performance of a Ku-Band Rotman Lens Beamforming Network for Satellite Systems

This paper presents the novel theoretical design, CAD modeling, and performance analysis of a compact and reliable microwave beamforming network (MBFN) which has been developed based on the RF Rotman lens switched-beam steered array for operation in Ku frequency band. The objective of this investigation is to develop a passive beam steering microwave network device intended for the potential suitable use in satellite communications beam scanning electronically scanned arrays. A thorough Ku-band satellite microwave network system has been theoretically designed and simulated along with the analysis of its output RF characteristics. The antenna array feeding network is capable of multi-beams generation and wide-band operation in terms of the true-time-delay (TDD) and low dispersive properties in order to allow simultaneous operation of multiple RF beams. The Rotman lens demonstrates the potential appropriateness in order to develop a high-performance and well-established design for advanced satellite microwave systems, services, and devices.