mm-Wave Substrate-Integrated Fabry-Perot/Leaky-Wave Antennas in E-Band

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Wave Propagation
• Antenna Theory and Design
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Conventional Fabry-Perot (FP)/leaky-wave (LW) antennas often rely on air cavities, limiting their integration with planar circuits and printed circuit boards (PCBs).
• Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) applications demand high-gain, low-profile antennas that are cost-effective and easily integrated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel substrate-integrated, low-cost, and low-profile E-band high-gain Fabry-Perot (FP)/leaky-wave (LW) antenna.
• To enable full integration of a high-gain antenna within a single-layer substrate for mm-wave applications.

Main Methods:

• The antenna utilizes a partially reflective surface (PRS) on a low-cost I-Tera MT40 dielectric substrate, eliminating the need for an air cavity.
• Excitation is achieved via a WR12 waveguide, with impedance matching using a rectangular iris.
• Leaky wave analysis within the cavity is performed using the Transverse Resonance Method (TRM).

Main Results:

• The proposed FP antenna achieves a maximum realized gain of 14.6 dBi.
• Excellent impedance matching is demonstrated with a reflection coefficient (|S11|) of -14 dB.
• The antenna was successfully fabricated and its performance validated through experimental measurements.

Conclusions:

• The developed substrate-integrated FP/LW antenna offers a viable solution for high-gain mm-wave applications.
• The low-cost, low-profile, and PCB-compatible design overcomes limitations of traditional air-cavity antennas.
• This design facilitates easier integration into various electronic systems operating at E-band frequencies.