A mm-Wave Dual-Polarized Flexible Array Antenna With Low Sidelobes and Symmetric Radiation

A millimeter-wave (mm-wave) dual-polarized flexible array antenna with low sidelobes and symmetrical radiation patterns is proposed. The mechanism of the cross-shaped radiating element is investigated using a two-dimensional (2D) transmission line (TL)-based equivalent circuit model (ECM), which enables the prediction of its impact on radiation patterns. Furthermore, a modified cross-shaped radiating element operating in the TM30mode is designed to mitigate flexible-substrate-induced gain degradation in the mm-wave band. Guided by this mechanism, a modified Chebyshev weighting scheme is employed to achieve suppressed sidelobes while preserving radiation-pattern symmetry. In addition, the performance of the antenna under bent states is investigated. Measurements show port isolation exceeding 30 dB and sidelobe levels (SLLs) below −18 dB.