The design of small slot arrays

The differences in mutual coupling for a central slot and a peripheral slot cannot be ignored in small arrays if good patterns and impedance are to be obtained. A theory has been developed whereby the length and offset of every slot in the array can be determined, in the presence of mutual coupling, for a specified aperture distribution and impedance match. The theory enlarges on Stevenson's method, and uses a modified form of Booker's relation based on Babinet's principle to treat nonresonant longitudinal shunt slots in the broad wall of a rectangular waveguide. A general relation between slot voltage and mode voltage is developed, and then formulas are derived for the active, self-, and mutual admittances among slots. These formulas result in a design procedure. Analogous treatments of inclined series slots in rectangular guide and of strip-line-fed slots are possible. Comparison between various experiments and the theory is presented. Tests of the theory include the resonant length of a zero offset slot, resonant conductance versus offset and resonant conductance versus frequency for a single slot, and self- and mutual admittances for two staggered slots. The design and performance of a two-by-four longitudinal shunt slot array is also described.