Efficient reflector illumination by an EBG enhanced aperture
This paper deals with the use of EBG super-layers to improve the shape of the illumination function of a center- fed reflector. Following an investigation of the leaky wave pole singularities of the EBG Green's function, the shape of the radiation patterns of small apertures in ground planes are optimized by properly tuning the super layers geometrical parameters. A prototype of such feed has been designed, manufactured and tested. The results indicate that the inclusion of the EBG provides an aperture efficiency of the feed+reflector system with values higher than 80%, over a 10% bandwidth.