Gap Waveguide Technology: An Overview of Millimeter-Wave Circuits Based on Gap Waveguide Technology Using Different Fabrication Technologies

Abstract

With the fast development of next-generation wireless communication and radar sensing, the millimeter-wave frequency band is becoming more and more important due to its rich spectrum, wide bandwidth, and ability to support the miniaturization of antennas and circuits <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref2" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[2]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[3]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[4]</xref> . High-performance, low-loss, and low-cost millimeter-wave circuits and modules are the key elements for wireless front-end systems. For planar transmission lines, such as microstrip lines and coplanar waveguides, they are very easy to integrate with other circuits for low-cost and low-profile physical designs. However, the high insertion loss and radiation loss from planar transmission lines limit their applications at the millimeter-waveband. As for rectangular and cylindrical waveguides, their main application is in the areas of low loss and high power handling, but their 3D structure is difficult to integrate with other planar passive and active circuits. The substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) is a better way to merge the advantages of planar transmission lines and rectangular waveguides, but it still suffers from dielectric losses at the millimeter-wave frequency range.