A Fully Reconfigurable RF Vector Modulator based Wideband Phase Shifter for NextG Beamforming Phased Array in Satellite Communications (SATCOM)

Abstract

This paper presents a fully reconfigurable RF vector modulator (RFVM)-based phase shifter for wideband beamforming phased array of 6G/NextG satellite communication (SATCOM). It covers the frequency range from S-band up to Ku-band. Specifically, the proposed RFVM features a novel vector modulation approach that relaxes the frequency constraint in conventional scenario while avoiding applying a quarter all-pass filtering (QAF) network. It achieves a topology that RF input signal is divided into multi-branch transversal sections where each branch enables individual gain weightings and phase delays. By resumming the signals from all branches, the output signal of proposed RFVM can realize a full 360 degree phase shifting while it preserves magnitude response in wideband scenario.