An antenna and method of using the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna comprise an array of radio-frequency (RF) radiating antenna elements, wherein each RF radiating antenna element comprises a first conductor stack containing one or more metal layers and having a first set of one or more conductive layers covering a first side of the first conductive stack; a second conductor stack, separated from the first conductor stack, containing one or more conductive layers and having a second set of one or more conductive layers covering a second side of the second conductive stack; and liquid crystal (LC) between the first and second sides of the first and second conductor stacks, respectively.

A single-layer Wide Angle Impedance Matching (WAIM) and method for using the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises: an aperture having a plurality of antenna elements operable to radiating radio-frequency (RF) energy; and a single-layer wide angle impedance matching (WAIM) structure coupled to the aperture to provide impedance matching between the antenna aperture and free space.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for printed cavities for computational microwave imaging and methods or use. According to an aspect, an imaging system includes a printed cavity having a layer having a first surface and a second surface. The printed cavity defines multiple apertures that extend between the first surface and the second surface. The printed cavity also includes a substrate being attached to the first surface of the layer. The substrate is also configured to be fed a guided wave that excites the apertures to produce a radiation pattern for illuminating a scene. The imaging system also include one or more antennas configured to generate a signal for imaging based on the illuminated scene.

A TFT substrate includes a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna unit regions, and a non-transmission and/or reception region located in a region other than the transmission and/or reception region. Each of the antenna unit regions U includes a TFT and a patch electrode electrically connected to a drain electrode of the TFT. The TFT substrate includes a gate metal layer including a gate electrode of the TFT, a gate insulating layer, a source metal layer including a source electrode of the TFT and the drain electrode, a first insulating layer, a patch metal layer including the patch electrode, a second insulating layer, and an upper conductive layer. The upper conductive layer includes a patch drain connection section electrically connected to the patch electrode and the drain electrode.

A scanning antenna 1000 according to the present invention is a scanning antenna 1000 in which antenna units U are arranged, and includes a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate 101 that includes a first dielectric substrate 1, TFTs 10 and patch electrodes 15 supported by the first dielectric substrate 1, and a first alignment film M1 disposed so as to cover the patch electrodes 15 and other elements, a slot substrate 201 that includes a second dielectric substrate 51, a slot electrode 55 supported by the second dielectric substrate 51 and including slots 57, and a second alignment film M2 disposed so as to cover the slot electrode 55, a liquid crystal layer LC that is interposed between the TFT substrate 101 and the slot substrate 201 of which the alignment films M1 and M2 face each other, and a reflective conductive plate 65 that is disposed so as to face an opposite surface 51b of the second dielectric substrate 51 with a dielectric layer 54 interposed therebetween. The first alignment film M1 and the second alignment film M2 are acrylic alignment films containing an acrylic polymer.

A heater for a radio frequency (RF) antenna and method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, an antenna comprises a physical antenna aperture having an array of RF antenna elements; and a plurality of heating elements, each heating element being between pairs of RF elements of the array of RF elements.

Included are: a waveguide in which multiple probe inserting holes are provided in a first wall surface, and multiple connection shaft inserting holes are provided in a second wall surface; multiple feed probes each of which is inserted in one of the probe inserting holes, and to a first end of each of which one of multiple circularly polarized element antennas is connected; multiple connection shafts each of which is inserted in one of the connection shaft inserting holes, and a third end of each of which is connected to a second end of one of the feed probes; multiple rotation shafts, a fifth end of each of which is connected to a fourth end of one of the connection shafts; multiple rotation devices each of which rotates one of the rotation shafts; and a control device that individually controls rotation of the rotation devices.

A scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate including a plurality of patch electrodes, a slot substrate including a slot electrode, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate. The slot electrode includes a plurality of slots disposed corresponding to the plurality of patch electrodes and a solid portion not including the plurality of slot. When viewed from a normal direction of the substrate, the patch electrode is disposed across the slot in a first direction and overlaps the solid portion at both ends of the slot in each of a plurality of antenna units, and when viewed from the normal direction of the substrate, at least one of a periphery of the solid portion and a periphery of the patch electrode includes a recessed portion or a protruding portion in at least one antenna unit of the plurality of antenna units.

A liquid crystal alignment agent according to the present invention includes: an alignment film forming material; and an organic solvent. The organic solvent contains a compound which has at least two functional groups selected from the group consisting of a methylene group, a methyl group, an ether group, a ketone group, and a hydroxyl group, and does not contain a nitrogen atom.

An antenna having a wedge plate-based waveguide with feed segmentation and a method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises an aperture having an array of radio-frequency (RF) radiating antenna elements and a segmented wedge plate radial waveguide comprises a plurality of wedge plates that form a plurality of sub-apertures, wherein each sub-aperture includes one wedge plate and a distinct subset of RF radiating antenna elements in the array, wherein each wedge plate of the plurality of wedge plates has a feed point to provide a feed wave for propagation through said each wedge plate for interaction with its distinct subset of RF radiating antenna elements in the array.