PhD Thesis Seminar

The history of technological progress can be seen through the lens of an interplay between utility and form factor: new applications inspire and/or demand new form factors, which in turn enable new applications, etc. This has long been the trajectory of antenna systems and phased arrays, which have scaled in form factor and broadened in adoption over the last century. Phased arrays currently straddle two regimes: highly scaled down for portable device compatibility or scaled up for array gain and complex functionality. Flexible phased arrays may be the next form factor to enable new applications: space solar power generation, high-bandwidth satellite communications, and others. However, challenges imposed by an array's flexibility, including radiator design, phase synchronization, and demonstrated viability, hinder the widespread adoption of flexible phased arrays. This thesis offers solutions to these challenges and discusses the opportunities flexible phased arrays offer for the future.