Experimental Characterization of E-Band Two-Dimensional Electronically Beam-Steerable Integrated Lens Antennas

This letter presents design of E-band integrated lens antennas (ILAs) with two-dimensional (2-D) fully electronical beam-steering capability. Two extended hemispherical quartz lenses with the radii of 7.5 and 12.5 mm and a feeding printed circuit board (PCB) with 16 aperture-coupled microstrip antenna (ACMA) elements arranged in a 2-D order together with a switching circuit were fabricated for experimental verification. A set of the directivity and radiation patterns measurements of the scanning antenna at 77 and 85 GHz is presented. It is shown that the ILA with the radius of 12.5 mm provides the coverage within the solid angle theta < 18 degrees in any direction from the lens axis with the directivity not lower than 20 dBi in the covered area. The ILA with the radius of 7.5 mm provides higher coverage (within theta < 27 degrees), but with the lower directivity of 16 dBi. A good agreement between the electromagnetic simulations and the measurements is demonstrated. The designed ILAs can be effectively used in different millimeter-wave applications such as WLAN/WPAN communications, automotive radars, imaging systems, and millimeter-wave radio backhaul systems.