Patent ID: 7999747

Claim:
A radio frequency phasing system for electromagnetically emulating a desired reflective surface of selected geometry over at least one operating frequency range, which comprises: a reflective means for reflecting energy of an incident radio frequency beam within the at least one frequency range; a phasing arrangement of at least one microdischarge structure that is operatively coupled to the reflective means, the at least one microdischarge structure including at least one microcavity plasma cell containing ionizable gas, said cell being reflective at the at least one operating frequency range when the gas is ionized, the ionized gas within the microcavity being disposed at a distance from said reflective means and having a size associated therewith whereby the phasing structure generates a reflected radio frequency beam with a phase shift imparted thereon in response to the incident radio frequency beam so as to provide an electromagnetic emulation of a desired reflective surface of selected geometry; said phasing arrangement further including a second ionized plasma cell being disposed a first distance from said reflective means and a second distance from the at least one ionized plasma cell and having a size associated therewith whereby the at least one ionized plasma cell and second ionized plasma cell impart a composite phase shift on the reflected radio frequency beam formed from a combination of the individual phase shifts provided by each plasma cell; and control circuitry for dynamically varying the size of the at least one ionized cell such that the phase shift imparted on the reflected radio frequency beam dynamically varies so that the reflected radio frequency beam is electronically scanned.