Antenna Design

Electronically steered arrays

Emtera designs electronically steered antennas (ESAs) and phased arrays for satellite communications, anti-jam PNT, and EW missions. Our flagship work includes a Ka-band ESA with ±70° scan built on a 540-radiator tile with 4-bit phase control and electronically switchable polarization to 31 GHz, an ultra-thin manpack SATCOM terminal under 5 pounds, and anti-jam GNSS arrays.

What sets our arrays apart is efficiency at the system level. Emtera designs the array and the active electronics behind it together — down to custom amplifier and phase-shifter semiconductors when the application demands it. That is how our Ka-band ESA runs on roughly one quarter of the prime power of competing designs: less heat, smaller terminals, longer missions.

Speed is the other difference. Using our rapid development framework, we recently delivered 11 antenna designs in 11 months for a single space-systems customer — about four weeks each, concept to delivered hardware.

Fixed-beam antennas

Not every mission needs electronic steering. We design the full range of fixed-beam antennas — microstrip patches and flat panels, slotted-waveguide arrays, shaped reflectors, spirals and volutes, and waveguide feeds, diplexers, and power combiners.

Because we design both, we can tell you honestly which one your mission needs: fixed-beam when the requirement allows, electronically steered when it doesn’t.

From requirements to delivered hardware

Our preference is to carry an antenna program all the way through: requirements, trade studies, electromagnetic simulation (ANSYS HFSS and CST), prototyping, and pattern measurement on near-field and anechoic ranges. If you need design-only support, we do that too.

A typical engagement delivers:

• Requirements capture and architecture trade study
• Simulated patterns and performance budgets
• Prototype hardware
• Measured patterns and performance data
• Finished, tested units — or a production-ready design package