Improvement of the Scanning Performance of the Extended Hemispherical Integrated Lens Antenna Using a Double Lens Focusing System

We demonstrate that an integrated lens antenna (ILA) with a double lens (DL) focusing system can provide simultaneously a high broadside directivity and a low scan loss over a wide angular range. The proposed DL ILA system consists of a hemispherical substrate lens and a planoconvex objective lens. A prototype of a high-gain DL ILA with lenses made of a low permittivity dielectric material is fabricated and characterized in the frequency range of 75-79 GHz. The realized scan loss in terms of gain within a +/- 30 degrees field of view is <1.1 dB in both planes. The performance of the DL ILA is compared with that of two hemispherical ILAs designed to provide the best broadside directivity and the lowest scan loss, respectively.