A Wideband and Wide Axial Ratio Bandwidth Metantenna Based on a Miniaturized Magnetoelectric Dipole for Ka-Band Satellite Communications

In this communication, a wideband and wide axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) metantenna based on magneto-electric (ME) dipole is proposed for Ka-band satellite communications (SATCOMs). The ME dipole source incorporates slotting in the planar radiator to achieve miniaturization and is integrated with a linear-to-circular polarization converter (LTCPC) operating within the matched band to enable circularly polarized (CP) radiation. To evaluate its performance, a 4×4 fixed-beam array was designed, fabricated, and tested. Simulation results show an ARBW below 3 dB spanning 26.85-40.5 GHz (40.5%) and an impedance bandwidth covering 26.55-40.1 GHz (40.7%). Measured results agree well with simulations. The radiation characteristics demonstrate high polarization isolation, and the co-polarization type can be switched by rotating the LTCPC. Upon integration with a power divider to form a broadside array, the antenna achieves stable gain up to 18.9 dBic and supports a 40° beam scanning angle in phased-array configurations. Owing to its wide operating bandwidth and switchable CP type, this design offers flexible applicability in Ka-band low earth orbit SATCOMs.