Microwave phasing structures for electromagnetically emulating reflective surfaces and focusing elements of selected geometry

A microwave phasing structure for electromagnetically emulating a desired focusing element of selected geometry over an operating frequency band, which comprises:

• (a) a support matrix;
• (b) a first phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures supported by said support matrix and generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band;
• and
• (c) a second phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures supported by said support matrix and generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band, said electromagnetically-loading structures of said first phasing arrangement varying in dimension and having an orientation and interspacing from each other and being disposed at a distance from a corresponding electromagnetically loading structure of said second phasing arrangement, so as to provide said emulation of said desired focusing element of selected geometry.

A method of electromagnetically emulating a desired focusing element of selected geometry over an operating frequency band, which comprises:

• (a) providing a microwave phasing structure including a support matrix, a first phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures supported by said support matrix and generally being resonant at some frequency outside said operating frequency band, and a second phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures supported by said support matrix and generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band, said electromagnetically-loading structures of said first phasing arrangement varying in dimension and having an orientation and interspacing from each other and each said electromagnetically-loading structure of said first phasing arrangement being disposed at a distance from a corresponding electromagnetically-loading structure of said second phasing arrangement so as to provide said emulation of said desired focusing element of selected geometry;
• and
• (b) providing an incident electromagnetic wave within said operating frequency band to one side of said support matrix, said incident electromagnetic waves being phase shifted and diffracted as said incident electromagnetic waves propagate through said microwave phasing structure, to thereby electromagnetically emulate said desired focusing element of selected geometry.

A method of manufacturing a microwave phasing structure for electromagnetically emulating a desired reflective surface of selected geometry over an operating frequency band wherein said microwave phasing structure includes a dielectric substrate having disposed on one side thereof a reflective means and disposed on the other side thereof, a phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band, varying in dimension and having an orientation and interspacing from each other and being disposed at a distance from said reflective means so as to provide said emulation of said desired reflective surface of selected geometry, said method comprising:

• (a) providing a dielectric substrate having a reflective means disposed on one side thereof, and on the other side of which said phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures are to be disposed;
• (b) selecting at least one geometry for said electromagnetically-loading structures;
• (c) determining the dimensions, orientation and interspacing of said selected electromagnetically-loading structures as to provide said emulation of said desired reflective surface of selected geometry;
• and
• (d) providing to the other side of said dielectric substrate, said phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures varying in dimension and having an orientation and interspacing from each other as determined in step (c), whereby said microwave phasing structure is formed.

A method of manufacturing a microwave phasing structure for electromagnetically emulating a desired microwave focusing element of selected geometry over an operating frequency band, wherein said microwave phasing structure includes a dielectric substrate having disposed on one side thereof, a first phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures, and having disposed on the other side thereof a second phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures, said first and second phasing arrangements generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band, varying in dimension, and having an orientation and interspacing from each other and each said electromagnetic loading structure of said first phasing arrangement being disposed at a distance from a corresponding electromagnetically-loading structure of said second arrangement, so as to provide said emulation of said desired microwave focusing element, said method comprising:

• (a) providing said dielectric substrate on which said first and second phasing arrangements of electromagnetically-loading structures are to be disposed;
• (b) selecting at least one geometry for said electromagnetically-loading structures;
• (c) determining the dimensions, orientation and interspacing of said selected electromagnetically-loading structures as to provide said desired focusing element of selected geometry;
• and
• (d) providing to one side of said dielectric substrate, said first phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures, and providing to the other side of said dielectric substrate, said second phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures, said electromagnetically-loading structures having dimensions, orientation and interspacing from each other as determined in step (c).

A method of designing an electrically thin microwave phasing structure for electromagnetically emulating a desired reflective surface of selected geometry over an operating frequency band, and being characterizable by a set of performance parameters, said method comprising:

• (a) specifying a desired reflective surface to be electromagnetically emulated and a corresponding set of performance parameters;
• (b) specifying a physical surface from which said desired reflective surface is to be electromagnetically emulated;
• (c) determining path length differences between corresponding points on said physical surface and said reflective surface which path length differences are to be electromagnetically emulated;
• (d) determining the desired phase shift corresponding to each said path length difference;
• (e) selecting at least one electromagnetically-loading structure having a particular geometry, and which are to be dimensioned, oriented and interspaced from each other on a support matrix to form a phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures which are disposed at a distance from a reflective means supported by said support matrix and generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band, so as to form an electrically thin microwave phasing structure characterizable by design parameters;
• and
• (f) determining said design parameters so that said electrically thin microwave structure is characterized by said set of performance parameters, and provides said emulation of said desired reflective surface of selected geometry over said operating frequency band.

The method of designing an electrically thin microwave phasing structure for electromagnetically emulating desired microwave focusing element of selected geometry over an operating frequency and, being characterizable by a set of performance parameters, said method comprising:

• (a) specifying a desired focusing element to be electromagnetically emulated and a corresponding set of performance parameters;
• (b) specifying a physical surface from which said desired focusing element is to be electromagnetically emulated;
• (c) determining path length differences between corresponding points on said physical surface and the surface of focusing said element, which path length differences are to be electromagnetically emulated;
• (d) determining the desired phase shift corresponding to each path length difference;
• (e) selecting at least one electromagnetically-loading structure having a particular geometry, and which are to be dimensioned, oriented and interspaced from each other on a support matrix to form on the first side thereof a first phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures and on the second side thereof a second phasing arrangement of electromagnetically-loading structures, said first and second arrangements of electromagnetically-loading structures being disposed at a distance from each other by said support matrix, and generally being resonant at some frequency outside of said operating frequency band, so as to form an electrically thin microwave phasing structure characterizable by a set of design parameters;
• and
• (f) determining said set of design parameters so that said electrically thin phasing structure is characterized by said set of performance parameters, and provides said emulation of said microwave focusing element of selected geometry over said operating frequency band.