A method for measuring amplitude and phase of each radiating element of a phased array antenna

Abstract In the phased array system, excitation amplitudes and phases based on the design are specified for each antenna element in order to synthesize desired beam scannings and radiation patterns. However, due to fluctuations of antenna and feed network characteristics, the amplitude and phase of each antenna element deviate from the desired values. To correct these deviations, the amplitude and phase of each antenna element must be accurately measured under specific operating conditions. In this paper, we employ variable phase shifters connected to the antenna elements and measure only the amplitude variation of the composite electric field of the entire array when the phase of each element is modified. The rotating element electric field vector method in which the measured amplitude variation is numerically processed for obtaining the amplitude and phase of the particular element is theoretically discussed and experimentally tested for its usefulness. The present method can be easily attained by simply adding software to the computer‐controlled phased array system.