Highly directive 3D-printed dual-beam waveguide slotted antennas for millimeter-wave applications

Abstract

A highly directive 3D-printed dual beam waveguide slotted antennas designed at 28 GHz are presented in this work. By having dual-beam directional pattern, the coverage area can be doubled. The performance of dual-beam waveguide slotted antennas is investigated with new metal 3D printing technique. The slots are basically designed at half wavelength dimension and distance with symmetrical and asymmetrical offset to form different phase radiations. The longitudinal slotted arrays are implemented on both side of the waveguide broad walls, thus enabling the dual beams on the antenna. The proposed antennas are simulated using computer simulation technology software and fully metal printed using EOS M280 machine. The simulated performance is validated experimentally using network analyzer measurement. The dimensional tolerance and surface roughness are profiled in this work. A good match better than 10 dB is achieved. The antennas are proposed for three-dimensional beamforming in millimetre wave applications.