Patent ID: 8188932

Claim:
An aperture plate for a phased array antenna, comprising: a plurality of waveguide transitions, each waveguide transition having a radiating end and a coupling end and a body portion extending from the radiating end to the coupling end, the body portion characterized by a substantially constant diameter, the plurality of waveguide transitions spaced apart from each other wherein at least a pair of waveguide transitions are spaced apart closer to each other at the radiating end than at the coupling end and a projection of the radiating end partially overlaps a projection of the coupling end; wherein the plurality of waveguide transitions extend from a top surface of the aperture plate about the radiating end to a bottom surface of the aperture plate about the coupling end; wherein a line joining a center of the radiating end and a center of the coupling end of the waveguide transitions defines an axis of the waveguide transitions and the axis is substantially serpentine along a portion of the body portion; and wherein the axis of at least one of the waveguide transitions is not normal to at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface.