Printed W-Band Multibeam Antenna With Luneburg Lens-Based Beamforming Network

A simple and low-cost single substrate layer Luneburg lens-based beamforming network (BEN) operating in IV-band is proposed. A multibeam antenna is then realized using the novel BFN and fabricated using a low-cost printed circuit board process. The Luneburg lens is realized by drilling holes in a substrate, and to extend the refractive index variation, a high dielectric constant substrate is embedded at the lens center. The lens is excited by radially placed open-ended substrate integrated waveguides (SIWs) at the lens circumference, feeding a subset of antenna polls placed on the opposite side of the lens. The proposed BEN thus provides half-power beamwidth (HPBW) and beam steering angle flexibility for multibeam antennas. An antenna generating seven beams was prolotyped at 79.5 GHz to validate this BEN. providing measured beam steering of approximately +/- 41 degrees with a broadside HPBW of 10 degrees. The bandwidth of the proposed BFN is determined by the single-mode operation of the SIW. The fabricated multibeam antenna impedance bandwidth is, however, about 2% at 79.5 GHz because of the radiating elements. The radiating elements are series fed slot arrays placed on SIWs.