Characteristics and design consideration of leaky-wave NRD-guides for use as millimeter-wave antenna

Leaky-wave characteristics of a class of nonradiative dielectric (NRD)-guides with various shapes of trapezoidal cross section are systematically studied for their potential applications in low-cost millimeter-wave antennas. A numerical technique is applied to model these irregular structures. The technique is formulated by effectively combining a multimode network theory with a mode-matching method. Our emphasis in this work is on the investigation of parametric effects in connection with the trapezoidal dimensions on leakage properties of the NRD-guide. Extensive results are presented to derive some useful guidelines for the design considerations of new types of NRD-guide leaky-wave antennas