2D electronically beam steerable integrated lens antennas for mmWave applications

Design of 2D electronically beam steerable integrated lens antennas (ILA) operating in the 73 GHz - 94 GHz frequency band is presented. Quartz extended hemispherical lenses with the diameters of 15 mm and 25 mm and extension lengths optimized with full-wave simulations are applied. Steering capabilities are provided by 8 or 16 switched antenna element arrays mounted on the back plane surface of the lens. The arrays are fabricated using standard high frequency multilayer printed circuit board technology Rogers RO4003C. Single pole 4 through (SP4T) switches from TriQuint Semiconductors and single pole double though (SPDT) switches from Hittite Microwave Corporation are used to implement the switching network. Electromagnetic simulation results of the designed antennas at 77 GHz show that the ILA with the 15 mm diameter lens provides scanning capabilities in any direction within the solid angles θ <; 17° and θ <; 25° (where θ = 0° direction is determined by the lens axis) for 8 and 16 element arrays respectively with the directivity of no less than 16 dBi. The ILA with the 25 mm diameter lens provides scanning capabilities in any direction within the solid angles θ <; 10° and θ <; 16° for 8 and 16 element arrays respectively with the directivity of no less than 20 dBi. The designed 2D electronically steerable ILAs can be used in different millimeter wave WLAN/WPAN applications and 77 GHz automotive radars.