Abstract: To obtain a given target pattern,a numerical technique based on DFP-BFGS unconstrained optimization method is introduced.At first,the array elements＇ excitation amplitudes and phases are optimized at the same time.After that,the amplitude excitation data are adjusted slightly in order to simplify the feed network＇s design.Finally,fixing the excitations′ amplitude distribution,only the phase data are optimized.As a result,not only the main beam be shaped,but also obtained a reasonable excitation distribution data.The optimization method has the advantage of flexible in application and can obtain controllable results,so it is a valuable beam shaped method for array antennas.