Simulation-Driven Antenna Array Optimization

Abstract

In this chapter we apply the SBO methodology to simulation-driven design of planar antenna arrays. Reliable designs of planar arrays are challenging due to the time-consuming high-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) simulations necessary to evaluate both radiation and reflection responses of the realistic array model (Volakis 2007). In addition, antenna array designs involve large numbers of design variables, including dimensions of elements, location of feeds, spacings, excitation amplitudes and/or phases, finite dimensions of substrates, and grounds. Models based on the single element radiation response combined with the analytical array factor (Balanis 2005) do not produce accurate radiation responses in the directions off the main beam and fail to account for inter-element coupling. Therefore, the use of full-wave EM models for the entire array is necessary. Such models, however, are computationally expensive when accurate, and conducting array design through simulation-driven optimization might be prohibitively expensive in terms of the CPU time. To alleviate this difficulty and speed up the design optimization process, we exploit the SBO approach.