Patent ID: 8059051

Claim:
A beam-steering antenna system, of the type comprising a scanning antenna element and a dielectric transmission line evanescently coupled to the scanning antenna element, the system being characterized by: a dielectric substrate having first and second opposed surfaces defining a substantially longitudinal wave propagation path therebetween; a conductive grid on the first surface of the substrate and comprising a plurality of substantially parallel metal strips, each defining an axis, whereby the grid renders the first surface of the substrate opaque to a longitudinal electromagnetic wave propagating through the substrate along the longitudinal wave propagation path and having a polarization direction substantially parallel to the axes of the strips, the substrate and the grid forming a waveguide; and a diffraction grating on the second surface of the substrate and configured to diffract the first electromagnetic wave into a diffracted wave that is scanned along a first predefined scanning plane in response to the operation of the scanning antenna element.