Abstract
Few examples of individual polymer-based 3-D printed quasi-optical component types have been previously demonstrated above ca. 100 GHz. This paper presents the characterization of polymer-based 3-D printed components and complete subsystems for quasi-optical applications operating at G-band (140 to 220 GHz). Two low-cost consumer-level 3-D printing technologies (vat polymerization and fused deposition modeling) are employed, normally associated with microwave frequencies and longer wavelength applications. Here, five different quasi-optical component types are investigated; rectangular horn antennas, 90° off-axis parabolic mirrors, radiation absorbent material (RAM), grid polarizers and dielectric lenses. As an alternative to conventional electroplating, gold-leaf gilding is used for the polarizer. A detailed investigation is undertaken to compare the performance of our 3-D printed antennas, mirrors and RAM with their commercial equivalents. In addition, a fully 3-D printed, RAM-lined housing with central two-axis rotational platform is constructed for performing two-port measurements of a quasi-optical horn-mirror-polarizer-mirror-horn subsystem. Measured results generally show excellent performances, although the grid polarizer is limited by the minimum strip width, separation distance and metallization thickness. The ultra-low cost, ‘plug and play’ housing is designed to give a fast measurement setup, while minimizing misaligning losses. Its RAM lining is designed to suppress reflections due to diffraction from components under test that may cause adverse multi-path interference. Our work investigates each component type at G-band and integrates them within subsystem assemblies; operating at frequencies well above those normally associated with low-cost consumer-level 3-D printing technologies. This opens-up new opportunities for rapid prototyping of complete low-cost front-end quasi-optical upper-millimeter-wave subsystems.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing using polymer-based 3-D printing is an emerging technology that is finding its way from academic research to commercial exploitation; not least for mobile and aerospace applications, where mass is an important driver
It is found that few examples of individual component types have been previously demonstrated above ca. 100 GHz, with most being reported within the past five years
With reference to the papers cited in the open literature, we demonstrate the art-of-the-possible in G-band by using low-cost 3-D printing, normally associated with microwave frequencies and longer wavelength applications
Summary
Additive manufacturing using polymer-based 3-D printing is an emerging technology that is finding its way from academic research to commercial exploitation; not least for mobile and aerospace applications The measured and post image processed spatial beam intensity 2-D profiles (normalized to their spatial peak intensity) for the commercial counterpart and ruggedized 3-D printed modified replica horn antennas are shown in Fig. 15(b) to (f). Measured port-to-port transmission coefficients for the commercial counterpart and mass-reduced 3-D printed modified replica 90◦ OAPMs (2 GHz running averaged with 10 data points each side) Their custom-machined mechanical alignment rig (90◦ rotated mirror mounting) [52], [53]. While this first non-optimized proof-ofprinciple demonstrator exhibits poor power efficiency, it performs its primary function with sufficient extinction ratio below its 187 GHz TE upper cut-off frequency
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