Non dispersive, UWB, leaky lens radiated links

To demonstrate the ultra-wide bandwidth performance while retaining manageable lens dimensions, 12 GHz has been chosen as lowest operating frequency. The planar feed has been realized in standard printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The matching layers reduce the reflection at the dielectric/air interface and this is therefore the preferred implementation of the Leaky Lens antenna design. However, for applications at sub-mm wave frequencies the realization of the matching layers poses serious technological challenges. Thus, the performance degradation of the planarly fed Leaky Lens antenna without the matching layers has also been quantified. A link between two prototypes has been experimentally characterized. From the measured S-parameters, the pulse preserving property of the antenna link demonstrates the phase linearity and phase center stability of each antenna as well as the spectral amplitude preservation of the link. While the phase preserving properties arise from the Enhanced Leaky Lens radiation mechanism, the spectral amplitude preservation is strictly related to the specific geometry chosen for the dielectric lens.