Modular Subarrayed Phased-Array Design by Means of Iterative Convex Relaxation Optimization

Subarray design technique is widely employed in the design of planar phased arrays. However, it is hard to obtain full coverage and good radiation performance with the given shape of subarrays and array aperture. In this letter, the subarray design problem is formulated as an iterative convex relaxation model and solved using some steps subtly. Besides, the scanning sidelobe level is adopted to retrieve the optimal configuration among the found solutions. Numerical experiments are carried out to assess the performance of the proposed method as well as the inherent superiority in adaptive beamforming.