Received 3 March 2023, accepted 10 May 2023, date of publication 22 May 2023, date of current version 12 July 2023.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3278570

State-of-the-Art Passive Beam-Steering Antenna

Technologies: Challenges and Capabilities
FOEZ AHMED , (Member, IEEE), KHUSHBOO SINGH , (Member, IEEE),
AND KARU P. ESSELLE , (Fellow, IEEE)
School of Electrical and Data Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
Corresponding author: Foez Ahmed ([email protected])
This work was supported in part by the Post Thesis Scholarship from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS); in part by Blue Sky
Research Grant, UTS; and in part by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant.

ABSTRACT This article reviews the latest developments of beam steering antennas that are entirely
passive to realize interference-free, power-efficient, and highly secured end-to-end wireless communication.
We briefly introduce metamaterials and metasurfaces, a timely advanced topic in electromagnetics (EM)
and optics. Mathematical formulas associated with the design of beam steering metasurfaces have been
numerically explained. In addition, reflect and transmit array antennas are also discussed for an in-depth
understanding of beam scanning principles in elevation and azimuth planes. We then provide intuitive
design examples and discuss three broad classes of the latest beam scanning antenna systems, namely 1)
Reflectarrays (RAs); 2) Transmitarrays (TAs); and 3) Near-Field Meta-Steering (NFMS) antennas that are
available in up-to-date literature. The third category’s unprecedented scanning performance and aesthetically
compact size are elucidated compared to previous antenna systems, such as reflector dishes or large phased
arrays. Alongside the working principles, the trade-offs for the scanning techniques, operation, and physical
size of each antenna type are also discussed. Towards the end, an evaluative conclusion with a comparative
discussion on the beam-steering antenna systems is provided. Future research directions considering mass-
market demands are also indicated.

INDEX TERMS Antennas, arrays, beam-scanning, beam-steering, feed-tuning, global connectivity,

high-gain, metamaterials, metasurfaces, near-field meta-steering, phase gradient, phase correction, phase
transformation, reflectarrays, satellite communication, high-power, space, transmitarrays, CubeSat.

I. INTRODUCTION est in many non-military and civilian applications. The key

Beam-steering antenna systems have been at the pivot of element in the success of this satellite-based technological
an extensive range of applications from the Ocean to Earth solution is a highly directive beam-steering antenna that
and Space communications [1], [2], [3], [4], and some are can transmit energy in a focused beam towards the satellite
shown in Fig. 1. The ability of beam-steering antenna systems seamlessly, even when both the satellite and ground stations
to offer interference-free, power-saving, and highly secured are non-stationary. Satellite-based communication systems
end-to-end communication has caused incredible interest. also need simultaneous dual-band beam-steering capability
Moreover, through technological advances and multi-billion- for the front-end antenna to support uplink and downlink data
dollar investment from the private sector, satellite commu- streams. In addition, the antenna system must be lightweight,
nication (SatComm) has been reviewed as a cornerstone in low-profile, low-power driven, and easy to manufacture
satisfying high-speed, heterogeneous, ultra-reliable, and low- for mass-market production. Besides physical constraints,
latency communications. Alongside its preexisting popularity the associated cost (more than 90%) of deploying antenna
in defense, SatComm has recently garnered significant inter- technology for SatComm-on-the-Move (SOTM) terminals is
one of the prime issues [5], [6], which poses intense R&D
The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and challenges for antenna engineers to shape and fit the antenna
approving it for publication was Kai Lu . system for consumer and industrial grade applications.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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FIGURE 1. A few potential areas of applications for the beam-steering antenna technologies.

Over time, antenna research communities have devoted method, thereby avoiding the need for the complex and
their time and thought to developing beam-steering antenna expensive laboratory setup usually required for liquid prisms.
systems to fulfill the current demands of civilian and Despite the simplicity of fabrication and high beam-steering
defense mass markets. The most conventional solutions are performance, the highest reported steering achieved is
to use mechanical beam-scanning antenna systems, popularly approximately 20◦ , significantly less than other more popular
called parabolic reflectors (dishes) [7], [8], [9] that have a methods such as parabolic dishes and electronically steered
large aperture, or electronic beam-scanning antenna systems, phased arrays. These physical and economic challenges
usually called phased arrays [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]. restrict the applications of such technologies to scenarios with
Notwithstanding the design aspects, both antenna systems cost and space constraints, such as satellite communication
have excellent beam-steering performance, as demonstrated on-the-move terminals. Therefore, improving the traditional
by their widespread use in real-life applications such as beam-scanning antenna system demands a new perspective.
cruise ships for satellite TV reception, defense vehicles Refelectarray (RA) [22] and transmitarray(TA) [23] anten-
for satellite communication, and in-flight connectivity [15], nas have several promising merits over reflectors and phased
[16], [17]. However, parabolic reflectors’ design architecture arrays, such as design simplicity and ease of manufacturing,
comes at the cost of tall and bulky systems, requiring good efficiency, relatively lightweight and high gain. These
high-powered, complicated mechanical control devices or features have attracted a large antenna research community
expensive advanced feed clusters [18]. On the other hand, and led to excellent research outcomes over the years.
the complex feed networks, numerous antenna elements, and Metamaterial and metasurface-based antennas have recently
the phase shifters used in the design of phased arrays are been used actively in satellite communication, radar, and
prohibitively complex and expensive [19]. Besides, thermal telecommunication applications [24], [25], [26]. Modern
management of the array in the active phased array is satellite communication systems widely use modulated
another practical limitation for high-power applications [16]. metasurface antennas based on surface wave interactions.
A beam-steering approach using antenna arrays without In these antennas, the cylindrical wavefront interacts with
phase shifting circuits has also been demonstrated in [20], the metasurface’s boundary conditions, creating a leaky
but the feed circuit uses Wilkinson power dividers, and wave transformation. The surface wave technology has been
each antenna element uses resistors. At higher frequencies, implemented to achieve several functionalities, including
such as Ku-band and beyond, the transmission lines of the monopulse radar using multi-port duplexing [27], dual-
power divider will incur heavy losses, and the resistors frequency control by superposition of surface impedance with
will behave parasitically. Besides, the feed circuitry will different periods [28], extreme beam-shaping by changing
become more complex with the increasing number of antenna holography [29] and shared aperture multi-beam anten-
elements in the array. Another approach in [21] discusses nas [30]. In addition, a seven-beam transparent TA antenna
beam steering using an electrowetting-driven liquid prism. was reported in [31], and a conformal seven-beam TA antenna
The liquid prism is fabricated using a simple dip-coating was recently proposed in [32].

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Metasurfaces have been implemented from a completely II. BACKGROUND

different perspective as an add-on device to steer the high- The attempt to gain unprecedented control over EM waves
gain antenna beam passively, using the principle of the using thin subwavelength interface discontinuities is an
Risley prism. This beam-steering approach offers a more ongoing endeavor and, in the process, has elicited several
pragmatic and cost-effective solution than the conventional other technologies such as RAs, TAs, and metasurfaces.
antenna systems mentioned above. These antennas have This section will briefly discuss the definitions and technical
simple design features and passive beam scanning capability distinctions underlying RA, TA, and metasurface. Various
and do not require power-hungry complicated active RF beam-steering technologies that are followed to realize
components. Hence, the research on these antenna systems passive beam scanning in medium-to-high gain antennas are
is advancing faster to fulfill the new mass-market demands discussed in the next section.
for low-cost and low-profile beam-steering front-end
devices. A. REFLECT AND TRANSMIT ARRAYS
Several beam-steering antenna systems with different Reflectarrays [22] and transmitarrays [23] are spatially fed
beam-scanning approaches are discussed in the literature, high-gain planar antennas composed of subwavelength arrays
including mechanical, electronic, hybrid, and electrowetting of metallic patches and typically function as flat parabolic
techniques. Each method has some limitations, including reflectors and flat lenses, respectively. In these antennas, the
bulkiness, power loss, a non-planar profile, or a low scan field radiated by a feed source located at the focal point
range. Passive solutions are inexpensive, less lossy, easily reaches the array elements on the aperture with different
scalable, reproducible, and thermally stable. They do not phases due to different path lengths. Each TA/RA element
affect the performance of active RF front-end components is designed to compensate for this phase difference, and an
and hence are the most sought-after. This review article is in-phase field is re-radiated in a desired direction. The RAs
an scientific resource compiling the state-of-the-art passive redirect the waves in the same side as the source, whereas the
beam-steering technologies that would be helpful to the TAs re-transmit the waves in the opposite direction from the
industry, academia, and research organizations to make an source. A hybrid transmit-reflect array induces bidirectional
educated decision when selecting/designing consumer-grade radiation [40].
beam-steering antenna systems. A comparative analysis The TAs/RAs offer a balanced solution between the bulky
of the electrical performance and technical features of parabolic dishes and lossy active phased arrays. Despite
traditional beam-steering approaches based on TAs and RAs their limited scanning capability, TAs/RAs have several
with respect to modern metasurface-driven beam-steering advantages over active phased arrays when a high-power
technology is an essential feature of this study as it serves amplifier is connected to the feed source. TAs/RAs are
as a precursor to understanding beam-steering principles in excited spatially by a primary feed source and hence do not
general. To this aim, the article provides an in-depth review have a bulky or dissipative feed network, which considerably
of three broad classes of the latest passive beam-steering reduces insertion loss compared to parabolic reflectors and
antenna systems, namely: i) Reflectarray, ii) Transmitarray, phased arrays.
and iii) Near-Field Meta-Steering antenna systems. Unlike
other available survey papers that discuss beam-steering B. METAMATERIAL AND METASURFACE
mechanisms either in general [33], electronic [34], TA or Metamaterials are bespoke materials artificially engineered
RA-based beam-steering technologies [35], [36], [37], [38], to provide control of EM wave properties, including phase,
[39], this article is focused explicitly on future shaping amplitude, and polarization. The concept of metamaterial
passive technologies that are key enablers for affordable was first explored back in 1898 [41], and since then,
global connectivity. a series of significant contributions [42], [43], [44], [45],
Section II presents a basic understanding of RAs, RAs, [46], [47] have expanded the capabilities of metamaterials
metamaterials, and metasurfaces. The available beam scan- and enriched the field to its maturity. There has been
ning methods in elevation and azimuth planes and their a recent surge in the commercialization of metamaterials
associated mathematical derivations are presented for in- due to the advancements in additive manufacturing (3D
depth knowledge of beam steering concepts. Building upon printing) technology. Metamaterials are composed of many
these fundamental insights, Section III provides an intuitive subwavelength scattering elements arranged in a strategic
discussion of three major beam-scanning antenna systems sequence to achieve predefined desired properties. The
available in the up-to-date literature. Each category is further scattering elements are made of metals, dielectrics, plastics,
sub-grouped and discussed based on the beam-steering or any compound form. Most importantly, metamaterials
principle they have used. The trade-offs governing each can tailor the wave properties by arranging their constituent
class’s design and operation to find more research gaps in elements (also called meta-atoms or unit cells) appropriately
this domain are identified. Section IV draws a comprehensive with proper physical attributes, including geometry, shape,
comparison to predict future research openings considering size, and orientation. Recent advancements have enabled the
new mass-market demands and summarizes the article with application of metamaterials in critical areas such as cloak
critical concluding remarks. devices [48], [49], super-lens [50], [51] and antennas [52],

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the feed [71] or by using multiple feeds and exciting them one
after another [72]. In-plane rotation of the RA/TA or rotation
of the whole antenna assembly can also steer the main beam
in the off-broadside direction [39], [73]. In some cases, beam
steering has also been achieved by using a tiltable ground
plane in RA antennas [73]. In a nutshell, a combination of
mechanical movement techniques in elements, arrays, and
feed levels can be used to scan the beam of RAs and TAs,
such as by combining feed displacement and array rotation.
In the third category, the beam can be scanned in the
elevation, azimuth, or both planes just by mechanically
rotating a pair of phase-gradient metasurfaces based on the
FIGURE 2. Photos of (a) Metamaterial [55] and (b) Metasurface [56]
Lenses. concept of the Risley prism [67]. The feed antenna is entirely
fixed, and a pair of identical (but not mandatory) metasurfaces
are placed in the near-field region of the feed. The main
[53], [54]. Despite their favorable properties, their applica- beam’s projection can be determined based on the Risley
tions are limited due to space constraints, especially at micro- prism concept discussed here briefly to better understand the
and nano-scales since they are bulky 3D structures, as shown near-field meta-steering approach. Since the 1960s [74], the
in Fig. 2(a). Risley prism has been dominantly used as a beam steering
Metasurfaces (MTSs) have emerged as a planar alternative technique in the optical domain. A Risley prism system,
(2D surface) to metamaterials. As such, they are lightweight, as shown in Fig. 4 (a), is typically made of two prisms, 51 and
easy to fabricate, and more versatile in applications [57]. 52 , which are independently rotatable about the direction
Metasurfaces are also created using a periodic or aperiodic of propagation (along the z-axis). If an incoming ray passes
repetition of subwavelength unit elements like metamaterials. through the prisms, the final beam pointing position (θ, φ)
They can uniquely manipulate the transmitted, reflected, and will be varied and defined based on the refractive indices (n1,
refracted waves in microwave and optical domains. Due n2) and orientation angles (θ1 , θ2 ) of the two prisms.
to their thin profile and other attractive features, MTSs The same approach is useful to steer the beam in the
have a wide range of applications [58], [59]. However, the microwave domain by rotating two metasurfaces mimicking
major challenge of metasurface-based antennas is that the prisms. The beam deflection angles can be determined using
constituent elements of MTSs are narrow-band due to their a first-order paraxial approximation method discussed in [66]
resonant nature, restricting their application in a wideband and [75]. TM1 and TM2 denote the two independently
application. A photo of a conventional metasurface lens is rotatable metasurfaces atop a fixed beam antenna, as shown
shown in Fig. 2 (b). MTSs are also called Metafilms and in Fig. 4 (b). ψ1 , ψ2 , δ1 , and δ2 are the corresponding
Metascreen [59], [60], [61]. orientation angles and individual beam tilting angles of the
two metasurfaces, respectively. Here, it is essential to mention
III. BEAM-STEERING METHODS that the beam tilting angle, δi for each metasurface can be
Several beam-steering techniques have been proposed to steer defined at the design level of MTSs following (1), where 1φ
the main beam in the desired direction. The three main and 1d are the progressive phase delay and center-to-center
approaches that can efficiently realize passive beam-steering distance between adjacent cells, respectively. However, the
antenna systems are shown in Fig. 3. They are (i) aperture magnitude and direction of the resultant vector OC (Fig. 5)
phase-tuning, (ii) feed-tuning (or translation), and (iii) near- define the antenna’s beam position (θ, φ). The elevation angle
field meta-steering or hybrid approaches. However, none of θ and azimuth angle φ of the beam can be computed using
the techniques could be a single, supreme choice – every equations (2) – (6).
method has pros and cons.
−1 1φ
 
λ0
In the phase-tuning approach, each element’s phase can δi/j = sin × (1)
be controlled individually either by a delay-line microwave 2π 1d
r
network, by changing the geometrical dimensions of the  q
θ= δi2 + δj2 = δ12 + δ22 + 2δ1 δ2 cos (ψ1 − ψ2 )
scattering elements, or by rotating the elements on the
aperture of the metasurface [62], [63], [64], [65]. The dimen- (2)
sional changes or rotational orientation of the elements δj δ1 sin (ψ1 ) + δ2 sin (ψ2 )
 
can be further realized either electronically, mechanically,
̸ OC = tan−1 = tan−1
δi δ1 cos (ψ1 ) + δ1 cos (ψ2 )
or passively. (3)
In the feed-tuning approach, the main beam is scanned by 
changing the feed’s phase center via feed translations [68], ̸ OC,
 δi ≥ 0, δj ≥ 0
[69], [70]. Feed translation can be performed either by in- φ = ̸ OC + 180◦ , δi < 0 (4)
OC + 360◦ , δi ≥ 0, δj < 0

̸
plane (lateral) displacement or circular-arc displacement of

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FIGURE 3. Three main categories of passive beam-steering techniques widely accepted to design beam-scanning antenna systems for emerging and
future wireless networks.

further explained and verified more intuitively in [76], where

the authors suggested a new phase method to predict the
steering angle more accurately in case of a larger beam
deviation in the elevation plane.
Modulated metasurface antennas, as demonstrated in [29],
have piqued the interest of space scientists. A modulated
metasurface antenna can generate a high-gain pencil beam
in the broadside direction or at a desired offset [77].
Multiple beams can also be created from a single aperture
FIGURE 4. Notations and coordinate systems for (a) Risley prism of modulated metasurface antenna by using multiple feeds
system [66] and (b) Near-field meta-steering system [67]. and implementing the principle of superposition [78], [79].
However, a complete 3D beam-scanning has not been realized
yet in such modulated metasurface antenna. Near-field
meta-steering technology can be implemented to overcome
this limitation, and the modulated metasurface antennas
can be used in conjunction with a pair of phase-gradient
metasurfaces to achieve dynamic beam-steering in a large
conical volume.

A. BEAM-STEERING REFLECTARRAY ANTENNAS

Technically, RA antennas combine the positive features of
reflectors and phased arrays. They are low-profile, relatively
lightweight, and easy to prototype compared to parabolic
reflectors or dishes. Most importantly, RAs have both passive
and electronic beam-steering capabilities without the need
for any power dividers or additional phase shifters [80].
FIGURE 5. Beam pointing system based on the first-order paraxial
approximation method [67]. Furthermore, the independent phase control capability of
each element on the aperture of RA has added an extra degree
When the two MTSs have equal beam-tilting angle, i.e. of freedom to the design of high-gain beam-steering RA
δ1 = δ2 = δ, (2) and (3) can be further simplified as follows: antennas. Besides, the phase can be manipulated by in-plane
q feed translation, feed rotation, or tuning the spatial delay. This
θ = 2δ 2 (1 + cos (ψ1 − ψ2 )) (5) section presents and discusses promising design concepts and
techniques to realize beam-steering RA antennas. Associated
̸ OC = tan−1
sin (ψ1 ) + sin (ψ2 )
(6) pros and cons are also indicated for further research
cos (ψ1 ) + cos (ψ2 ) directions.
Using equations (2) – (6), one can calculate the beam The beam-steering RA antenna systems using the feed-
position (θ , φ) of an antenna system in terms of synchronous tuning technique are investigated and presented in [68], [69],
co-rotation or counter-rotation of metasurface pair or only [71], [72], [81], and [82]. The study reveals that the feed
by rotating one while the other is fixed. However, the first- translation approach is preferable only for limited field-of-
order paraxial approximation method cannot predict the beam scanning systems [68]. It is also observed that the gain
pointing position accurately as expected when the beam loss is severe when the beam is scanned far away from its
deflection angle is large enough [66]. This phenomenon was broadside direction. The performance can be enhanced by

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FIGURE 6. A 20 × 20 element beam-steering RA antenna (a) a schematic

representing tilting panel and coordinates, (b) prototype in a chamber
measurement setup [85].

FIGURE 7. A 15 × 15 element beam-steering RA antenna (a) prototype, (b)

improving the F/D ratio, but it also increases the antenna mechanically rotatable element and far-field pattern cuts [86].
profile. Later, wide-angle beam-steering RA antennas were
reported based on hybrid approaches [69], [81], [82]. In [69],
±60◦ scan coverage with 30 dBi gain, minimum scan loss, hence, it might change the phase progression and degrade the
and low side-lobe level (below 15 dB) was achieved using scanning performance.
a feed displacement and bifocal aperture phase distribution The rotating elements approach was demonstrated in [62]
method. The measured results also confirm that the beam- and [63]. Each element is rotated mechanically using low-
scanning performance is better due to bifocal aperture powered micro-motors and acts as a localized spatial phase
phase distribution than the parabolic aperture phase method. shifter. A 10◦ beam defection from its broadside direction
Besides, a bifocal RA with an optimized phase distribution was observed when each disc was rotated 45◦ with respect
function can further improve the beam-scanning range and to the adjacent disc. However, the proposed system has
gain performance [83]. In addition to the bifocal design limited scanning performance as well as low scan rates.
method, the offset feed structure further eliminates the feed A broadband wide-angle beam-steering RA antenna realized
blockage problem and improves the scanning performance by mechanically rotating phase elements or controlling the
significantly by achieving a maximum gain of 36.4 dBi, height of the phase elements was demonstrated in [87], [88],
aperture efficiency of 51.4% and scan loss of about 1 dB [89], and [90]. A 15 × 15 rotatable elements beam-steering
within ±15◦ scan angles [84]. The major limitation of this RA was fabricated, and its performance was investigated
design approach is that the feed (horn) needs to be rotated in [86] and [89]. Excellent performance was achieved in terms
mechanically [71], [84], which requires a high-powered of wide-angle scanning (±60◦ ), aperture efficiency (51.8%),
motor and may also degrade the scanning speed. and operating bandwidth (28.6%). The maximum gain is
The scan angle was further improved up to ±70◦ by 25.6 dBi, whereas the scan loss is 3.7 dB in the worst-case
combining feed displacement and in-plane rotation of the RA scenario. A schematic model of the rotatable unit element,
panel [82]. However, the main beam can be steered in one a fabricated prototype, and scanning far-field pattern cuts are
plane (1D) only, and scanning loss is around 4.9 dB in the shown in Fig. 7.
worst-case situation. The radiation pattern will be degraded An alternate design approach was presented in [90],
due to the phase alteration caused by defocusing feed, which where the phase shift range of up to 324◦ was achieved by
is the major limitation of feed tuning approaches. On the mechanically tuning the height of the slotted patch of the unit
other hand, the 2D beam-steering RA can be realized only by cells of RA. The antenna prototype having a 528 mm (8.5λ0 )
rotating the flat RA panel while the feed is fixed at its focal diameter circular aperture was fabricated and tested. The
point [85]. In this design approach, the panel is first designed measured results indicate an excellent scanning performance
using the ray tracing method and tilted to a certain angle up to ±60◦ within the 3.4 dB scanning loss while maintaining
in a plane (here in xz-plane) to overcome the feed blockage the maximum gain of 25.7 dBi, aperture efficiency of 48.6%
problem, as shown in Fig. 6, and this tilting effect steers the and 1 dB gain bandwidth of 6.2%. The merit of this approach
beam in the azimuth plane. Then, it is rotated mechanically is that the phase can be controlled in real-time. However,
along the orthogonal plane (here in yz-plane) to steer the beam it also has its inherent cons, such as feed blockage issues, and
in the elevation plane. Using this scanning approach, authors requires numerous microcontrollers or actuators to control
in [85] have demonstrated a wideband (7% to 13.1%) wide- the height of individual unit cells, which increases the
angle (±60◦ ) beam-scanning RA having a maximum gain of prototyping cost and complexity, especially when the RA size
26.47 dBi with 6.62 dB scan loss. However, the technique is considerably large. Each microcontroller or actuator must
has a limited scanning speed and is unsuitable for space- have precise tuning capability to avoid positioning errors in
limited applications as it requires a large volume to rotate the the unit cells. Most notably, it should have a minimum height
panel vertically. The panel rotation is also sensitive to F/D; variation of the phasing elements to achieve the desired phase

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devices. This section presents the remarkable performance of

passive beam-steering TA antennas by providing promising
design examples. Wherever possible, the inherent design and
technical pros and cons will be discussed in order to broaden
the scope of future research.
The beam-steering TA antenna using the feed-tuning
technique has been investigated in [92]. By exciting the
selected two out of eight patches (as a feed source) placed
beneath a transmitting metasurface, the beam can be steered
FIGURE 8. (a) Fabricated prototypes of all-metal beam-steering RA and to a maximum angle of ±40◦ in the elevation plane only.
(b) far-field pattern cuts at θ = 45◦ , φ = 45◦ [64].
This approach is typically limited to narrow-band with 1D
selected/small-angle scanning performance. In [70], [93],
shift; otherwise, it will negatively impact blockage effects [94], [95], [96], and [97], a hybrid approach was investigated
caused by adjacent unit cells. to develop two-dimensional beam-steering antenna systems.
The authors of [64] have recently presented mechanically The in-plane translation (in the lateral axis) of a thin flat lens
rotatable, fully metallic elements to construct an efficient over a fixed primary feed is used to rotate the beam into the
wideband beam-steering RA antenna system. The proposed elevation plane. In contrast, either in-plane rotation of the
unit element can achieve a 1-bit reflection phase (0 and π) lens or rotation of the whole antenna system provides full
both for TE and TM normally incident waves, and hence, azimuth beam steering. A circular polarized Ka-band beam-
fit for dual-polarized feed antenna as well. The main beam steering TA was proposed in [70] to achieve an outstanding
can be scanned easily by adjusting the rotation of every gain of 27.3 dBi with 2.8 dB scan loss and wide-scan
corresponding unit element. The measured results validated angle of ±50◦ in the elevation plane. A new auxiliary-lens-
the design concepts successfully. A prototype was fabricated, feeding technique was introduced, which reduces the F/D
and performance was measured for six different main beam ratio to 0.55 and hence lowers the overall antenna profile
directions. It was observed that the maximum gain variation significantly. However, a common challenge of this approach
is 2 dB when the main beam is at 60◦ off-broadside. The is having a larger lateral dimension for translation. The lens
photos of the fabricated prototype and unit element are shown displacement also increases the level of pattern aberrations
in Fig. 8. The proposed antenna system does not require and scan losses, which were further resolved by developing
any active RF components to steer the main beam. The lack bi-focal planar lenses [94].
of dielectric substrates also ensures the antenna system’s The first attempt to demonstrate a dual-band circularly
high efficiency and high-power handling capability. However, polarized beam-steering TA antenna for Ka-band satellite-on-
bulkiness might be a bottleneck for this type of metallic the-move terminals was presented in [95]. The authors have
phasing element. developed a generalized formula and strategy to design dual-
In a recently published article, a hybrid design technology band phase delay cells, which are the most critical component
is used, and a combination of 3D printed lens antennas with to realizing dual-band beam steering TAs. The mechanical
retro-directive feed and microstrip patches is used to design beam-steering strategy was followed to steer the beam in
the reflective surface [91]. Each lens antenna is four times the 2D plane. A ±50◦ beam deflection in the elevation
the size of the microstrip patch, and the inter-lens distance is plane is obtained through in-plane feed translation, whereas
more than one wavelength. Thus, replacing microstrip patch the azimuth plane scanning requires in-plane rotation of the
elements only at the edge of the reflecting surface with lens entire assembly. The measured maximum gain is 24 dBi
antennas reduces the required number of phase shifters and within the scan loss of 3.6 dB at 20 GHz and 27 dBi within
does not limit the beam scanning performance, which is the scan loss of 3.3 dB at 30 GHz. The photographs of the
essentially a limitation of lens antennas. Like conventional fabricated TA and its unit element are shown in Fig. 9. Later,
RA, the edge elements (lens antennas) are fed with low power. the dual-band beam-steering performance of two independent
The assembly of this reflecting surface with a feed horn linearly polarized feeds was investigated in [98]. The TA is
results in a low-cost passive beam-steering RA antenna when made of interleaving unit cells and shares the same physical
microstrip delay lines replace the phase shifters. radiating aperture. The prototype demonstrated a high gain
of 25.9 and 29.0 dBi at 19.5 and 29 GHz, respectively, with
B. BEAM-STEERING TRANSMITARRAY ANTENNAS an aperture efficiency of more than 20%. However, it has a
Transmitarray antennas also possess the same positive limited beam scanning range of ±20◦ due to the increase
attributes as RA antennas over reflectors and phased arrays. of spill-over losses while the feed is translated off the TA’s
Unlike RAs, TAs are free from feed blockage problems center.
due to the location of feed sources behind the radiating The beam-steering performance of a circularly polarized
aperture and the highly transmissive nature of TA. Recently, (CP) feed was presented in [97] based on two different
beam-steering TA antennas have been an alternative in many TAs comprised of phase delay (PD) and phase rotation (PR)
modern wireless communications systems as front-end RF scattering elements. The study reveals that the PD cells

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FIGURE 10. Cross-slot-based all-metal TA. (a) lens-1, (b) lens-2 and (c) 3D
view of steered beam patterns showing feed antenna and lenses [65].

FIGURE 9. The photographs of (a) fabricated TA, (b) constituent unit

element, and (c)–(d) far-field pattern cuts of the scanned beam [95]. 0◦ – 360◦ was achieved by manually rotating each element.
The two lenses are placed at the focal point of a primary
also correct the phase of the cross-polarized transmission feed (i.e., horn) and rotated mechanically to steer the beam
coefficient like co-polar components, which increases the in both the elevation and azimuth planes. The proposed TA
cross-polar level and degrades the axial ratio of the main shows narrow-band performance and higher SLLs but has an
beam. On the other hand, unlike PD cells, PR cells do not excellent power-handling capability of about 4 GW for a 1 m2
refract the cross-polar components. Hence, the TA with PR TA. The all-metal lens and its 3D view are shown in Fig. 10.
outperforms the TA with PD in terms of better axial ratio Recently, the idea of mechanically rotatable metasurfaces
(AR) and 3 dB AR bandwidth, as the PR cell can filter the to steer the beam to an off-broadside direction was further
cross-polarization effect significantly. In contrast, PD cells demonstrated in [102] to design a dual-band TA operating
have greater design flexibility, a wider operation bandwidth, in linear polarization at 8 GHz (X-band) and 14 GHz (Ku-
and less sensitivity to feed polarization. Nevertheless, both band). In this design, an anisotropic lens was used to transfer
cells reflect the back lobe at (180◦ − α ◦ ), where α ◦ is the the spherical phase front into the nearly uniform phase front.
direction of the main beam of the feed to be deflected by Two standard x- and y-polarized horns were used as the feeds.
the TAs. However, both TAs have the same beam scanning The 1st MTS was placed at 10 mm above the lens, and the
performance from 17◦ to 50◦ at 30 GHz. The scan losses 2nd MTS was placed 5 mm atop the 1st MTS. While these
are less than 2.8 dB and 3 dB up to 50◦ tilt angle for TAs two MTSs are rotating independently, the main beam can
with PD and PR, respectively. The 3 dB gain bandwidths be scanned around ±52.7◦ at 8 GHz and around ±49.5◦ at
of PR and PD TAs are 1.9 GHz and 2.2 GHz, with a 14 GHz in the elevation plane. The scan losses are about
maximum gain of 29.1 dB and 29.5 dB, respectively. Later, 5.3 dB at 8 GHz and 5.4 dB at 14 GHz when the beam is
the authors proposed a dual-band beam-steering TA using a at the extreme elevation angle.
linear-to-circular polarization converter instead of an actual A hybrid metal-plasma TA antenna with beam-scanning
CP feed [99]. capabilities is presented in [103]. A novel low-cost wide-
Interestingly, based on the Risley prism concepts discussed angle beam-scanning TA using lens-loaded patch elements
in Section II, several beam-steering TAs using meta-steering is presented in [104]. A hybrid combination of lenses and
principles were also developed and presented in the liter- patches in the TA reduces the number of phase shifters,
ature [65], [100], [101], [102]. In [100], two linear phase thereby reducing overall cost. Quite recently, the authors
progressive phase-shifting surfaces (LPP-PSSs) were rotated in [105] introduced the concept of offset unifocal phase
mechanically over a fixed beam feed (horn) to achieve 2D symmetry to improve the performance of mechanically beam-
beam steering at 30 GHz. Excellent scanning performance steerable TA antennas, which is also applicable to mechani-
was achieved with a scan angle of ±70◦ and a maximum cally beam-steerable RA antennas. The beam-steerable TA
realized gain of 24.5 dBi. The concept was further explored antenna enabled by the offset unifocal phase symmetry
by designing an all-metal metasurface-inspired 2D beam- achieved a smaller gain roll-off than that of the unifocal
steering circularly polarized TA at X-band [65]. The unit beam-steerable TA antenna, higher realized gains than the
element was made of cross slots drilled into metal plates and counterparts of the bifocal beam-steerable TA antenna and
several metallic waveguides. The total phase-shift range from outperformed both the unifocal and bifocal beam-steerable

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TA antennas in terms of the side-lobe levels of all scanning

beams.

C. NEAR-FIELD META-STEERING ANTENNA SYSTEMS

Low-profile antennas are considered the primary feed in
the third category of beam-steering antenna systems, such
as resonant cavity antennas (RCAs), patch antennas, and
continuous transverse stub (CTS) arrays. The horn can also
be used as a feed to demonstrate the NFMS antenna system,
but most importantly, the near-field phase transforming FIGURE 11. Low-profile beam-steering antenna (a) 3D view of antenna
structures or metasurfaces are placed just above the feed prototype and (b) far-field pattern cuts at 11 GHz [67].
(typically < λ/2) in its near-field region. Hence, it reduces
the antenna profile significantly compared to RAs and TAs.
Moreover, the F/D ratio need not be obeyed even when the of a double-sided, double-circular ring resonator, and the
horn is used as a primary feed. In this framework, the low- required transmission characteristics are obtained by varying
profile beam-steering antenna system can be realized either the radius of the inner and outer CRRs. The unit cells
by i) in-plane translation and rotation of metasurface(s) and of LGIMS and RGIMS are fashioned in such a way that
feed tuning approach [106], [107], [108], [109], [110] or they can provide the negative graded refractive index region
ii) near-field meta-steering approach where a pair of phase along the x-axis and radial direction. In this design, the 2D
gradient structures/metasurfaces is rotated along the axis of beam-steering concept is achieved by moving the LGIMS
propagation while the feed antenna is fixed [67], [111], [112], and RGIMS in linear (along the x-axis) and angular axes
[113], [114], [115], [116], [117], [118], [119], [120]. The (clockwise rotation), respectively parallel to the primary
first approach has limited scanning ability, whereas the latter radiator, MPA (feed) or vice versa. Hence, its deployment
has a sophisticated design and excellent 3D beam-steering is relatively difficult in a space-confined, fixed-volume
performance. Some of the most relevant design examples application domain. The proposed antenna has a maximum
based on both approaches are outlined in this section. gain of 14.82 dBi and a scanning angle of ±50◦ within
A hybrid phase gradient metasurface (PGM) was proposed 1 dB gain variation. At the design frequency of 10.1 GHz,
and demonstrated to steer the beam of a patch antenna [107]. the excellent flat top response was achieved in the case of
The PGM is made of two different phase profiles varying linear and angular motion of the metasurfaces. However, the
radially and linearly; hence, it works as a phase-correcting antenna operates in linear polarization and shows extremely
lens. However, the PGM is placed at 0.43λ0 away from narrow-band performance.
the feed, and the in-plane translation and rotation of the Besides the low-profile beam-scanning approach, 3D
PGM can steer the beam in both elevation and azimuth beam-steering antenna systems using the meta-steering
planes, respectively. The proposed antenna is low profile but concept have been successfully demonstrated. The authors
has a narrow band and poor scanning performance (only in [67] have proposed a passive, low-profile, and low-cost
±18◦ ). Rather than the in-plane translation of MTS, the method to steer the linearly polarized antenna beam in
beam can be scanned in the upper hemisphere by rotating elevation and azimuth planes inspired by metasurfaces. An
a planar semi-circular metasurface atop a patch antenna RCA was used as a feed, and phase gradient metasurfaces
in [108]. In [109], the low-profile beam-steering antenna were placed in the RCA’s near-field region, resulting in a
was developed based on the feed-tuning technique. Here, the novel low-profile and planar beam-steering antenna system.
beam-steering concept involves the excitation of slots with The main beam was scanned both in elevation and azimuth
a varying phase difference, which essentially excites each planes by rotating the two MTSs independently. It achieves
element of MTS sequentially with a progressive phase delay; ±51◦ scanning angle within the 3 dB gain variation over the
hence, beam-steering functionalities are observed. However, elevation plane with full azimuth coverage. The measured
the major limitation is that the beam can be scanned only in maximum peak gain is 19.4 dBi at 11 GHz. In the worst-
the elevation plane (1D) with a maximum scan angle of ±30◦ . case scenario, the scan loss is 1.9 dB while the beam
Flat-topped beam antennas provide improved link budget is at ±46◦ from its broadside direction. The 3D view of
and uniform coverage in a certain angular space; hence, the antenna prototype and far-field pattern cuts are shown
they have potential applications in wireless communication in Fig. 11. However, the beam-steering performance is
as well as radar and microwave wireless power trans- excellent for a linearly polarized antenna system at a single
mission applications. A flat-topped beam-steering antenna frequency only, which is the bottleneck of this prototype.
was presented in [110] comprising of a linearly graded Later in 2021, the same authors demonstrated the continuous
index metasurface (LGIMS) and a radially graded index beam-steering solution for radial line slot array (RLSA)
metasurface (RGIMS) placed over a microstrip patch antenna antennas [113]. The system comprises stationary Ka-band
(MPA). The fundamental unit cell of metasurfaces is made circularly polarized (CP) RLSA and a highly transmitting pair

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FIGURE 12. Photo of feed and 3D printed all-dielectric

phase-transforming structures to form meta-steering antenna systems,
(a) non-planar [115] and (b) planar model [116]. FIGURE 13. The front view of (a) dual-mode metallic metasurface and
(b) phase-gradient metallic metasurface [121].

of Hybrid Metasurfaces. The metasurface was composed of

through-holes drilled in the three stacked layers of dielectric loss of 3.6 dB over an operational bandwidth of 40.6% (26.5
substrates, and four layers of metallic patches sandwiching - 40 GHz). Although the horn is used as a feed source, the
three layers of dielectric substrates and hence were called overall antenna profile is significantly lower than RAs/TAs
Hybrid metasurfaces. They are placed above RLSA in the as phase correcting stepped-dielectric phase transformer was
near-field region and rotated independently to perform beam placed only 1 mm away from the horn, yet the overall antenna
steering at any azimuth and elevation angle within a large height is 14.6λ0 .
conical region. Unlike two-stepped dielectric structures developed
In order to improve the spectral efficiency and channel in [115], a single-stepped dielectric and dielectric wedge
capacity, a dual-polarized (DP) 2D beam-steering antenna were proposed in [117] to demonstrate the beam-scanning
system was presented in [114] based on the NFMS concept. performance at mmWave band. The other significant system-
The proposed beam-steering antenna system is composed of level difference is that an RCA fed by a WR28 coaxial
two main components, namely i) DP CTS array including a to waveguide adapter was used instead of a commercially
line source generator (LSG) and ii) two rotatable flat linear available WR28 horn, which ensures a 40% reduction of
phase progression phase-shifting surface (LPP-PSS). The the antenna height compared to the previous design reported
two LPP-PSSs are placed just above the DP-CTS array and in [115]. The proposed antenna shows an excellent beam
rotated independently, which results in a novel low-profile scanning performance from 29.2 GHz to 30.8 GHz (5.33%)
and planar beam-steering antenna system. The main beam can within the 3 dB scan loss while maintaining a maximum
be steered about ±40◦ in the elevation plane with a maximum measured gain of 16 dBi. The antenna beam can be steered
gain of 17.8 dBi and a maximum scan loss of 3.3 dB. effectively in both azimuth and elevation planes within a
However, the operational bandwidth of the antenna system maximum apex angle of 68◦ . Yet, both systems are likely
is extremely narrow, which is 1.62% (12.25 to 12.45 GHz). to be bulky and heavy due to the thick all-dielectric phase
The feed is compact and excites plane waves. However, transformers. Moreover, due to thick dielectric edges, there
it possesses significant fabrication challenges due to its is a possibility of additional power losses due to lateral
numerous metallic reflectors, radiators, and vias, especially propagation and electric field leakage from the sides of
for the large array. the antenna systems, which need to be taken care of at
Recently, a pair of 3D-printed fully dielectric or metal- the design level. An updated solution to the issues above
dielectric composite near-field phase transforming structures was presented in [116], where a pair of planar perforated
was proposed to realize the beam-steering antenna sys- dielectric phase transforming surfaces were used for beam
tems [115], [116], [117], [118], [119]. This literature has scanning. The same research group that introduced NFMS
resolved the bandwidth issues and demonstrated a good further advanced its technology by developing a low-cost, all-
example of low-cost and fast prototyping aspects. The first metal, 2D beam-steering antenna system suitable for space
attempt to overcome the bandwidth issue for a beam-steering and high-power applications [121], [122]. Unlike the heavy
antenna in millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications was metallic metasurfaces in [65], the proposed phase gradient
demonstrated efficaciously in [115] using the meta-steering all-metal metasurfaces do not require bulky waveguides
concept. A pair of stepped-dielectric phase transformers and can be used with any type of polarized feed antenna.
(SPTs) was placed in the near-field region over a fixed As shown in Fig. 13, the novel Slots-in-Sheet method
beam antenna. Then, both SPTs were mechanically rotated made the metasurface mechanically robust and kept the
independently around the antenna axis to steer the beam system lightweight. The 3-dB scanning bandwidth is at
in the elevation and azimuth planes. The complete antenna least 700 MHz, and beams can be scanned up to ±42◦ in
system, feed, and SPTs are shown in Fig. 12. The excellent the elevation plane. The side lobe level is at least 12.6 dB
steering angle of ±52◦ was achieved with a maximum scan below the main lobe. By selectively arranging metallic cells

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TABLE 1. The performance comparison of three classes of passive beam-steering antenna systems.

that replicate digital bits, such a passive metallic metasurface been investigated thoroughly in [115], [117], and [118].
can potentially be employed to generate multiple beams from The PGS and PDGS are well adopted due to their flat
a single radiating source [123]. profile, low cost, and size. These metasurfaces are made
The pattern reconfigurability was achieved passively by of subwavelength phase-shifting scattering elements, where
modulating the phase distribution in the near-field region of a each element is designed with either multilayered printed
Fabry-Perot cavity antenna (FPCA). Comprehensive design metallic patterns mounted on dielectric substrates or perfo-
principles and beam-scanning performance of FPCA using rated bare dielectrics. The required phase shift is achieved
four passive phase shifting surfaces such as wedge-shaped for the former element by varying the metallic inclusion
dielectric lens (WSDL), discrete multilevel grating dielectric size [67]. In contrast, for the latter one, the perforation size
(DMGD), printed gradient surface (PGS), and perforated (diameters of holes) is changed in dielectric substrates [118].
dielectric gradient surface (PDGS) have been investigated But, in both cases, an additional bonding technique or a
and discussed critically [119]. By changing the material and specialized machining facility is required for air-free layering
refractive index of WSDL, the steering angle in the elevation and fine-tiny and precise perforation. However, the scanning
plane can easily be controlled, whereas the lens rotation performance for all design approaches is good enough within
moves the beam around the azimuth plane. Hence, a single the 2 dB scanning loss while maintaining a maximum peak
lens can scan the beam in the 2D plane but is not suitable gain of around 20 dBi. Yet, undesirable SLLs and dominant
for continuous beam scanning. Moreover, the lens thickness grating lobes must be minimized to improve overall scanning
is proportionally increasing with the increase in scan angle performance. Nonetheless, the proposed design only applies
in the elevation plane; hence, relatively thicker lenses are to a particular frequency in the mm-Wave application. Fig. 14
required to achieve a wide scanning range. On the other shows photographs of three passive phase-shifting surfaces.
hand, in DMGD, the phase delay (or phase shifting) profile The inherent challenge with NFMSs is to control the
can be achieved by varying the dielectrics’ permittivity unwanted grating lobes and side lobes which typically appear
or thickness. Materials with variable heights but uniform when the main beam is in the off-broadside direction due to
permittivity are preferable to reduce design complexity. the supercell periodicity in the metasurfaces. Several efforts
However, this approach is also limited due to its thick and have been made to address the aforementioned issue in the
bulky 3D structures. These types of structures have also literature [124], [125], [126], [127], [128] by implementing

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systems, and for optimal gain, the feed should be placed at

the focal point of the metasurfaces (i.e., by following the
proper F/D ratio) to excite the plane wave, increasing the
antenna profile notably. In addition, high-powered motors
are required to rotate the entire antenna system to achieve
high-performance beam scanning. However, TA holds an
advantage over RA by eliminating feed blockage problems
FIGURE 14. Photographs of (a) DMGD, (b) PGS - 4 metallic patches are
mounted on three layers of dielectric substrates, and (c) PDGS [119].
and has also successfully demonstrated dual-band beam
scanning capability in Ka-band. A significant research gap
on dual-band beam-scanning RA has been identified in the
Floquet analysis in conjunction with evolutionary algorithms. literature, which could be an interesting avenue to be explored
Most of the non-traditional beam steering systems that use in the future.
transmitarrays or reflectarrays have narrow gain bandwidth In the near-field meta-steering antenna systems, the feed
when the beam is steered away from the broadside. The patch- is fixed, and a pair of metasurfaces rotate to scan the beam
based antenna intrinsically has narrower bandwidth, hence in 2D planes without increasing the scanning volume. The
result in narrow band NFMS systems, However, waveguide- metasurfaces are planar, thin, and light in weight; hence,
based antennas, dielectric-based resonant cavity antennas they can rotate by employing low-powered stepper motors.
or horn antennas when combined with the wide-band They have a remarkably lower profile as the metasurface
metasurfaces can give efficient gain-bandwidth performance. pair is placed in close proximity to the near-field of the feed
The NFMS system designed in [115] uses a horn antenna antenna. Though comparable performance is observed in all
along with a dielectric stepped phase transformer and exhibits three steering technologies in terms of gain and aperture
wideband characteristics. Also, in [116] a pair of all dielectric efficiency, the NFMS provides the most compact beam-
metasurfaces are placed over a wideband horn antenna and steering solution with a height of about three wavelengths.
the systems exhibits decent gain-bandwidth performance. On the flip side, a dual-band beam steering antenna using the
NFMS technique is not explored in the open literature and is
IV. COMPARATIVE DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION a good indicator for future research directions. Such compact
We observe a decent scanning performance in all three NFMS antenna operating in dual-band can be an excellent
passive beam-steering technologies based on the figures of choice to enable full-duplex satellite-based communication
merit for some selective works mentioned in Table 1. They for future heterogeneous networks, 5G and beyond. In a
have stable radiation performance with minimum scan loss, nutshell, a trade-off is required at the time of antenna choice
even at the farthest scan angles. They are lightweight, low- based on mass-market demands, applications, and applied
cost, and low-profile. They can scan and control the beam areas.
passively without active RF components, thereby avoiding
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formation to steer the beam of high-gain antennas in two dimensions,’’
in Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Antennas Propag. USNC/URSI Nat. Radio Sci. FOEZ AHMED (Member, IEEE) received the
Meeting, Jul. 2017, pp. 1947–1948. B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc. degrees in information
[112] M. U. Afzal, A. Lalbakhsh, and K. P. Esselle, ‘‘Electromagnetic- and communication engineering from the Uni-
wave beam-scanning antenna using near-field rotatable graded-dielectric
versity of Rajshahi (RU), Rajshahi, Bangladesh,
plates,’’ J. Appl. Phys., vol. 124, no. 23, pp. 234901–234911, Dec. 2018.
[113] M. U. Afzal, K. P. Esselle, and M. N. Y. Koli, ‘‘A beam-steering solution in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and the M.Eng.
with highly transmitting hybrid metasurfaces and circularly polarized degree in electrical and computer engineering
high-gain radial-line slot array antennas,’’ IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., from the South China University of Technology
vol. 70, no. 1, pp. 365–377, Jan. 2022. (SCUT), Guangzhou, China, in 2013. He is cur-
[114] T. Lou, X. Yang, H. Qiu, Z. Yin, and S. Gao, ‘‘Compact dual-polarized rently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the School
continuous transverse stub array with 2-D beam scanning,’’ IEEE Trans. of Electrical and Data Engineering, University of
Antennas Propag., vol. 67, no. 5, pp. 3000–3010, May 2019. Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
[115] A. A. Baba, R. M. Hashmi, K. P. Esselle, M. Attygalle, and D. Borg, From 2012 to 2014, he was a Lecturer with the Department of Information
‘‘A millimeter-wave antenna system for wideband 2-D beam steer- and Communication Engineering, RU, where he has been an Assistant
ing,’’ IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 68, no. 5, pp. 3453–3464, Professor, since 2014 (now on study leave). He was also a Lecturer with the
May 2020. Northern University of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 2008 to 2009,
[116] A. A. Baba, R. M. Hashmi, M. Attygalle, K. P. Esselle, and
D. Borg, ‘‘Ultrawideband beam steering at mm-wave frequency with
and King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia, from 2009 to 2011.
planar dielectric phase transformers,’’ IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., He is currently involved in developing and optimizing ground-terminal
vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 1719–1728, Mar. 2022. antenna systems for LEO and MEO satellite communication (SatCom)
[117] M. U. Afzal, L. Matekovits, K. P. Esselle, and A. Lalbakhsh, ‘‘Beam- applications. His current research interests include high-gain antennas,
scanning antenna based on near-electric field phase transformation and SATCOM antennas, metasurfaces, frequency-selective surfaces, and far-field
refraction of electromagnetic wave through dielectric structures,’’ IEEE pattern synthesis using the near-field phase transformation principle.
Access, vol. 8, pp. 199242–199253, 2020. Mr. Ahmed was a recipient of several prestigious awards and scholarships,
[118] T. Hayat, M. U. Afzal, F. Ahmed, S. Zhang, K. P. Esselle, and including the Commonwealth-Funded International Research Training
J. Vardaxoglou, ‘‘The use of a pair of 3D-printed near field superstruc- Program (iRTP) Scholarship, the Post Thesis Scholarship, the International
tures to steer an antenna beam in elevation and azimuth,’’ IEEE Access, Research Scholarship (IRS) and the Faculty of Engineering and Information
vol. 9, pp. 153995–154010, 2021. Technology (FEIT) Scholarship from the University of Technology Sydney
[119] M. Akbari, M. Farahani, A. Ghayekhloo, S. Zarbakhsh, A. Sebak, and
(UTS), the Gold Medal from RU, the Chinese Government Scholarship,
T. A. Denidni, ‘‘Beam tilting approaches based on phase gradient surface
for mmWave antennas,’’ IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 68, no. 6, the Academic Achievement Award, and the Excellency Award from SCUT,
pp. 4372–4385, Jun. 2020. China. On top of that, he also received faculty-wide highly competitive
[120] F. Ahmed, K. Singh, K. P. Esselle, and D. Thalakotuna, ‘‘Metasurface- research grants and travel funds, including the Vice Chancellor’s Conference
driven beam steering antenna for satellite communications,’’ in Proc. 5th Fund, the Faculty Conference Fund, the School Travel Fund from UTS
Int. Conf. Commun., Signal Process., their Appl. (ICCSPA), Dec. 2022, and the Postgraduate Research Fund from Macquarie University, Sydney,
pp. 1–5. Australia.

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KHUSHBOO SINGH (Member, IEEE) received 20 million dollars, including 15 Australian Research Council grants, without
the B.Tech. degree (Hons.) in electronics and counting the U.S. $245 million SmartSat Corporative Research Centre,
communication engineering from SHIATS, India, which started in 2019. He is with the College of Expert Reviewers of
in 2012, the M.S. by research degree in electronics the European Science Foundation (2019–2022) and he has been invited
and communication engineering from LNMIIT, to serve as an International Expert/Research Grant Assessor by several
India, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree in electronics other research funding bodies as well, including the European Research
engineering from Macquarie University, Australia, Council, and funding agencies in Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands,
in 2021. Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Georgia, South Africa, and Chile. He has been
From 2014 to 2015, she was an Assistant invited by the Vice-Chancellors of Australian and overseas universities to
Professor with the Pratap Institute of Technology assess applications for promotion to professorial levels. He has also been
and Science, India. From 2015 to 2016, she was a Guest Lecturer with invited to assess grant applications submitted to Australia’s most prestigious
Swami Rama Himalayan University, India. She is currently a Research schemes, such as an Australian Federation Fellowships and an Australian
Associate with the University of Technology Sydney and an Honorary Laureate Fellowships. He has authored more than 600 research publications
Postdoctoral Associate with Macquarie University, Sydney. She is currently and his papers have been cited over 11,000 times. In 2020, his publications
involved in the development and optimization of satellite-terminal antenna received over 1,200 citations per year. His H-index is 52 and i-10 is 191. His
technology for LEO and MEO. Her research interests include antennas, research activities are posted in the web at: http://web.science.mq.edu.au/
phase-gradient metasurfaces, beam-steering antennas, frequency-selective esselle/ and https://www.uts.edu.au/staff/karu.esselle
surfaces, evolutionary optimization methods, artificial intelligence, and Dr. Esselle is a fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales IEEE
machine learning in electromagnetics, surface electromagnetics, waveguide and Engineers Australia. His awards include Runner-Up to 2020 Australian
polarizers, and couplers. National Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers,
Dr. Khushboo was a recipient of the several awards and scholarships the 2019 Motohisa Kanda Award (from IEEE USA) for the most cited
during her academic and professional career. She was awarded a silver paper in IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY in the past
medal and certificate of merit on completion of the bachelor’s degree. She five years, the 2019 Macquarie University Research Excellence Award for
received a prestigious merit-based LNMIIT scholarship during the master’s Innovative Technologies, the 2019 ARC Discovery International Award,
studies with a complete fee waiver and a stipend of INR 15000 per month, the 2017 Excellence in Research Award from the Faculty of Science and
from 2012 to 2014. She was a recipient of the highly competitive Australian Engineering, the 2017 Engineering Excellence Award for Best Innovation,
government-funded iRTP scholarship for the Ph.D. studies. In 2017, she the 2017 Highly Commended Research Excellence Award from Macquarie
received the Choose Maths Grant from the Australian Mathematical Sciences University, the 2017 Certificate of Recognition from IEEE Region 10, the
Institute (AMSI) to present her work at the AMSI optimize conference in 2016 and 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards for Best Published Paper
New Zealand. During the Ph.D. studies, she received a five-month paid from IESL NSW Chapter, the 2011 Outstanding Branch Counsellor Award
internship with a total grant of $26 K under the Australian Postgraduate from IEEE Headquarters, USA, the 2009 Vice Chancellor’s Award for
Research Intern (APR) Program funded by the National Research Internships Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision, and the 2004 Innovation
Program in collaboration with AMSI. She was also a part of the team that Award for Best Invention Disclosure. His mentees have been awarded
received $24 K from research collaboration under ‘‘Australia-Germany Joint many fellowships, awards and prizes for their research achievements.
Research Cooperation Scheme.’’ 58 international experts who examined the theses of his Ph.D. graduates
ranked them in the top 5% or 10%. Two of his recent students were
awarded Ph.D. with the highest honor at Macquarie University—the
Vice Chancellor’s Commendation. According to the Special Report on
KARU P. ESSELLE (Fellow, IEEE) received the Research published by The Australian National Newspaper, he is the
B.Sc. degree (Hons.) in electronic and telecom- National Research Field Leader in Australia in both microelectronics and
munication engineering from the University of electromagnetisms fields. From 2018 to 2020, he chaired the prestigious
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and the M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. a Distinguished Lecturer Program Committee of the IEEE Antennas and
degrees (Hons.) in electrical engineering from the Propagation (AP) Society, the premier global learned society dedicated for
University of Ottawa, Canada. antennas and propagation, which has close to 10,000 members worldwide.
He was a member of the Dean’s Advisory Coun- After two stages in the selection process, he was also selected by this
cil and the Division Executive. He was the Head society as one of two candidates in the ballot for the 2019 President of the
of the Department several times. He is currently Society. Only three people from Asia or Pacific apparently have received
a Distinguished Professor of electromagnetic and this honor in the 68-year history of this society. He is also one of the three
antenna engineering with the University of Technology Sydney and a distinguished lecturers (DL) selected by the society, in 2016. He is the
Visiting Professor with Macquarie University, Sydney. Previously, he was only Australian to chair the AP DL Program ever, the only Australian AP
the Director of the WiMed Research Centre and the Associate Dean— DL in almost two decades, and second Australian AP DL ever (after UTS
Higher Degree Research (HDR) with the Division of Information and Distinguished Visiting Professor Trevor Bird). He has served the IEEE AP
Communication Sciences and directed the Centre for Collaboration in Society Administrative Committee in several elected or ex-officio positions
Electromagnetic and Antenna Engineering, Macquarie University. He has (2015–2020). He is also the Chair of the Board of Management of Australian
provided expert assistance to more than a dozen companies, including Antenna Measurement Facility. He was the Elected Chair of both IEEE New
Intel, Hewlett Packard Laboratory, USA, Cisco Systems, USA, Audacy, South Wales (NSW) and IEEE NSW AP/MTT Chapter, in 2016 and 2017,
USA, Cochlear, Optus, ResMed, and Katherine-Werke, Germany. His team respectively. He is the Track Chair of IEEE AP-S/URSI 2022 Denver, 2021
designed the high-gain antenna system for the world’s first entirely Ka-band Singapore and 2020 Montreal; the Technical Program Committee Co-Chair
CubeSat made by Audacy, USA, and launched to space by SpaceX, of ISAP 2015, APMC 2011, and TENCON 2013; and the Publicity Chair of
in December 2018. This is believed to be the first Australian-designed high- ICEAA/IEEE APWC 2016, IWAT 2014, and APMC 2000. He has served
gain antenna system launched to space, since CSIRO-designed antennas in as an Associate Editor for IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS PROPAGATION,
Australia’s own FedSat launched, in 2002. His research has been supported IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, and IEEE ACCESS. In addition
by many national and international organizations, including Australian to the large number of invited conference speeches he has given, he has
Research Council, Intel, U.S. Air Force, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, been an Invited Plenary/Extended/Keynote/distinguished Speaker of several
Australian Department of Defense, Australian Department of Industry, and IEEE and other venues over 30 times, including EuCAP 2020 Copenhagen,
German and Indian Governments. He is in world’s top 100,000 most-cited Denmark; URSI 2019 Seville, Spain; and 23rd ICECOM 2019, Dubrovnik,
scientists list by Mendeley Data. Since 2002, his research team has been Croatia.
involved with research grants, contracts, and Ph.D. scholarships worth about

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