Enhancement of Feed Source through Three Dimensional Printing.

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Antenna Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Horn feed sources often suffer from non-uniform phase distribution, limiting antenna performance.
• Phase variations in horn apertures can degrade directivity, gain, and increase side lobe levels.
• Existing methods for phase correction may be complex or add significant weight and cost.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel three-dimensional printed wideband prototype (WBP) for enhancing horn feed sources.
• To investigate the WBP's capability in generating a more uniform phase distribution.
• To assess the impact of the WBP on antenna directivity, gain, and side lobe levels.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a five-layer cubic WBP using 3D printing.
• Integration of the WBP with a 3D printed horn feed at a specific distance (λ/2).
• Measurement and computation of phase variation, directivity, gain, side lobe levels, and return loss at 12 GHz.

Main Results:

• Phase variation reduced from 163.65° to 19.68° with the WBP.
• Directivity and gain improved by 2.5 dB, with side lobe levels reduced.
• The WBP system demonstrated a lightweight design (294 g for WBP, 448 g overall) and good impedance matching (return loss < -2 dB).

Conclusions:

• The proposed 3D printed WBP effectively corrects aperture phase errors in horn feeds.
• The WBP significantly enhances antenna performance metrics including directivity, gain, and side lobe suppression.
• This lightweight and cost-effective solution offers a promising approach for wideband antenna applications.