Role: Team Leader & Engineer
This project went on to win Gold in Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) 2023, and then Silver at ASEAN Student Science Project Competition (ASPC) 2023.
The phoenix cell comprises of three elements - an inner rectangle, an inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring starts its cycle as part of the inner rectangle and ends its cycle as part of the outer ring, giving it a full 360 degree phase shift. This cell is meant to be etched on a 0.5mm FR4 material with a 6mm air gap between it and the ground copper plate. The rectangular phoenix cell shows desirable properties in several areas. Firstly, due to the linearity of its phase curve, it allows for greater tolerance during fabrication should there be any slight errors. Secondly, it achieves a wideband from 12.1GHz to 13.9GHz. The reflectarray design was generated using progressive phase distribution equations automated using Python. After simulation using CST Studio Suite, the entire setup was fabricated using the in house milling machine in NUS T-Labs, with the horn placed then measured in the NUS antenna chamber. The simulated results were verified by the measured results. Further improvement analysis was done and it was found the feed horn could have been placed at a more optimal angle and height.