ABSTRACT
An array is a composite antenna formed from two or more basic radiators. Each radiator is denoted as an element. The elements forming an array could be dipoles, dish reflectors, slots in a wave guide, or any other type of radiator. Electronic steering is achieved by controlling the phase of the current feeding the array elements. Arrays with electronic beam steering capability are called phased arrays. Phased array antennas, when compared to other simple antennas such as dish reflectors, are costly and complicated to design. Planar arrays are a natural extension of linear arrays. Planar arrays can take on many configurations, depending on the element spacing and distribution defined by a "grid." The array factor is derived in two steps. First, the array factor corresponding to a linearly distributed circular array is computed. Second, the overall array factor corresponding to all elements will be the product of each individual circular array times the pattern of the central element.
