3-D Printed Metallic Dual-Polarized Vivaldi Arrays on Square and Triangular Lattices

Abstract

We report the first Vivaldi arrays monolithically fabricated exclusively using commercial, low-cost, 3-D metal printing (direct metal laser sintering [DMLS]). Furthermore, we developed one of the first dual-polarized Vivaldi arrays on a triangular lattice, and compare it to a square lattice array. The triangular lattice is attractive because it has a 15.5% larger cell size compared to the square lattice and can be more naturally truncated into a wide range of aperture shapes such as a rectangle, hexagon, or triangle. Both arrays operate at 3–20 GHz and scan angles out to 60° from normal. The fabrication process is significantly simplified compared to previously published Vivaldi arrays since the antenna is ready for use directly after the standard printing process is complete. This rapid manufacturing is further expedited by printing the “Sub-Miniature Push-on, Micro” (SMPM) connectors directly onto the radiating elements, which simplifies assembly and reduces cost compared to utilizing discrete RF connectors. The arrays have a modular design that allows for combining multiple subarrays together for arbitrarily increasing the aperture size. Simulations and measurements show that our arrays have similar performance as previously published Vivaldi arrays, but with simpler fabrication.