A Variable Phase Shifter Using a Movable Waffle Iron Metal Plate and Its Applications to Phased Array Antennas

Abstract

A variable phase shifter using a movable waffle iron metal plate comprised of iron rods a quarter-wavelength in length is proposed. A study of the waffle iron structure was carried out and the design method for creating a structure that would achieve large phase changes, small loss, and good isolation between adjacent phase shifters is discussed. Experiments on 1-port and 2-port phase shifters operating in the 5GHz band show that they not only have low loss characteristics but also wide phase changes. Furthermore, the application to phased array antennas using the proposed phase shifter and its principle are demonstrated.