Broadband High-Gain SIW Horn Antenna Loaded With Tapered Multistrip Transition and Dielectric Slab for mm-Wave Application

Abstract

A substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) H-plane horn antenna loaded with tapered multistrip transition and dielectric slab is proposed for broadband high-gain operation. The broadband characteristic of the proposed antenna is obtained by loading a tapered multistrip transition. The theory of coupled resonator is introduced to reveal the mechanism of bandwidth enhancement. On the other hand, a dielectric slab is used to enhance the gain of the proposed antenna. The optimal length of this dielectric slab is determined based on the design principles of a dielectric rod with maximum gain. Besides, the tapered multistrip transition also contributes to the gain improvement by suppressing the feed radiation and prompting the transverse expansion of the surface wave. To verify the design theory and concept, a prototype operating at the K- and Ka-bands is fabricated and measured. The measurement results show that the impedance bandwidth of the proposed antenna is from 20.6 to 38.4 GHz (60%). Within the operating band, a peak realized gain of 19.1 dBi and excellent endfire radiation patterns with low cross polarization (<−30 dB) and high front-to-back ratio (FBR >20 dB) are achieved simultaneously. With its broad bandwidth, high gain, low cross polarization, and high FBR, the proposed antenna is promising for various millimeter-wave applications.