Antenna element having a segmentation cut plane

A unit cell for use in a radio frequency (RF) array antenna, the unit cell comprising:

• a multi-layer printed circuit board, having a first layer corresponding to an antenna element layer with the antenna element layer having disposed thereon one or more conductors responsive to RF signals having first and second orthogonal polarizations with the one or more conductors disposed to define a segmentation cut plane;
• the multi-layer printed circuit board having one or more secondary layers corresponding to feed layers and having two or more feed circuits disposed thereon with a first one with the two or more feed circuits electrically coupled to a first one of the conductors and responsive to signals having a first polarization and a second one with the two or more feed circuits electrically coupled to a second one of the conductors and responsive to signals having a second polarization which is orthogonal to the first polarization, the two or more feed circuits disposed to define a segmentation cut plane which is aligned with the segmentation cut plane defined by the conductive elements disposed on the antenna element layer.
• an artificial dielectric layer (ADL) disposed on the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the ADL comprises one or more dielectric layers and one or more metallic surface layers disposed thereover with conductors on the metallic surface layers configured such that a conductor crosses the segmentation cut plane defined by the conductive elements disposed on the antenna element layer and the feed circuits of the feed circuit layers.

An array antenna comprising:

• a plurality of antenna sections each comprising a plurality of unit cells, at least some of the unit cells having a segmentation cut plane with each of the unit cells having a segmentation cut plane comprising:
• a multi-layer printed circuit board, having a first layer corresponding to an antenna element layer with the antenna element layer having disposed thereon one or more conductors responsive to RF signals having first and second orthogonal polarizations with the one or more conductors disposed to define a segmentation cut plane;
• the multi-layer printed circuit board having one or more secondary layers corresponding to feed layers and having two or more feed circuits disposed therethrough with a first one of the secondary layers comprising the two or more feed circuits electrically coupled to a first one of the conductors and responsive to signals having a first polarization, and a second one of the secondary layers comprising two or more feed circuits electrically coupled to a second one of the conductors and responsive to signals having a second polarization which is orthogonal to the first polarization, the two or more feed circuits disposed to define a segmentation cut plane which is aligned with the segmentation cut plane defined by the conductive elements disposed on the antenna element layer,
• an artificial dielectric layer (ADL) disposed on the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the ADL comprises one or more dielectric layers and one or more metallic surface layers disposed thereover with conductors on the metallic surface layers configured such that a conductor crosses the segmentation cut plane defined by the conductive elements disposed on the antenna element layer and the feed circuits of the feed circuit layers.