Two-dimensional multi-beam former, antenna comprising such a multi-beam former and satellite telecommunication system comprising such an antenna

A two-dimensional multi-beam former, comprising:

• a first beamforming stage intended to synthesize beams focused along a first direction X in space and a second beamforming stage intended to focus the beams formed by the first stage along a second direction Y in space, the two beamforming stages being connected together,
• each stage comprises at least two multi-layer plane structures superposed one above the other,
• each multi-layer structure of the first and of the second stage comprises an internal reflector extending transversely to the plane of the multi-layer structure, at least two first internal sources disposed in front of the internal reflector and respectively linked to two first input/output ports aligned along a first axis of the multi-layer structure, at least two second internal sources disposed in a focal plane of the internal reflector and respectively linked to two second input/output ports aligned along a second axis of the multi-layer structure perpendicular to the first axis,
• the two second internal sources of the same multi-layer structure, respectively, of the first beamforming stage being respectively linked to two first internal sources of two different multi-layer structures of the second beamforming stage by way of the input/output ports, called linking ports, to which are respectively connected the second internal sources and the first internal sources, wherein:
• the at least two first internal sources of each multi-layer structure are disposed in a first substrate layer inserted between an upper metallic plane and an intermediate metallic plane, the second sources are disposed in a second substrate layer inserted between the intermediate metallic plane and a lower metallic plane,
• the first and second substrate layers are coupled by the internal reflector extending from the lower metallic plane to the upper metallic plane and by way of an aperture or of coupling slots extending along the internal reflector and made in the intermediate metallic plane separating the first and second substrate layers,
• each multi-layer structure furthermore comprises first waveguides disposed in the second substrate layer, each first waveguide comprising a first guide part extending along a longitudinal axis of the multi-layer structure and connected to the second internal sources and a second bent guide part extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and linked to a second input/output port.