A Full‐Angle Beam‐Scanning Antenna Based on Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons for Conformal Platform

ABSTRACT

Conformal and flexible wireless communication systems are increasingly demanded in miniaturized terminals. New‐concept compact and flexible antennas are expected to provide low profile, integrated capabilities, and reliable mechanical and electromagnetic performance on changeable curved surfaces. Here, a conformal spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) leaky‐wave antenna (LWA) featuring full‐angle frequency scanning and a high scanning rate is presented. Glide symmetry and complementary properties of plasmonic metamaterials are investigated to develop the odd‐mode SSPPs to provide a large dispersion gradient for maintaining endfire‐capable radiation of the ‐1st spatial‐harmonic. A prototype LWA is fabricated on a 0.254‐mm‐thick flexible substrate and demonstrated to realize continuous beam scanning from −90° to +90° over 7.8–12.1 GHz, corresponding to an average full‐band scanning rate of 4.17°/% (41.9°/GHz). The antenna exhibits a measured peak realized gain of 15.53 dBi and an average measured gain of 12.81 dBi, with the radiating aperture length being 7.37 λ0. Bending tests with radii of 200/150/100 mm confirm that full‐angle scanning (>160°) is preserved. In addition, over‐the‐air (OTA) receive‐mode mapping and an up‐/down‐converted 5.8‐GHz image transmission demonstration further verify wide‐angle link acquisition under bending. This scheme is widely applicable in lightweight conformal communication systems for low‐altitude platforms and the smart Internet of Everything.