3D-printed 96 GHz bull’s-eye antenna with off-axis beaming

Abstract

Reducing the profile, footprint and weight of antennas embarked on aircrafts, drones or satellites has been a long pursued objective. Here we tackle this issue by developing a millimeter-wave 96 GHz elliptical Bull’s-Eye antenna with off-axis radiation at 16.5° that has been fabricated by low cost 3-D printing stereolithography, followed by metal coating. The theoretical basis for optimum off-axis operations is explained. Measurement results show an overall good agreement with simulations, displaying a gain of 17 dB and a 3.5° beamwidth (E-plane) at the operational frequency. The off-axis beaming enlarges the potential applicability of this technology with respect to the broadside beam solution.