Monolithic metal-coated plastic components for mm-wave applications

A stereolithography-based manufacturing process for monolithic high aspect ratio components for mm-wave and sub-mm-wave applications is demonstrated. A 25 mm long straight waveguide and a diagonal horn antenna, both for the WR-3.4 band (220-330 GHz), are manufactured and characterized. The waveguide is found to exhibit transmission losses close to the theoretical minimum for Cu, and the performance of the diagonal antenna in terms of cross-polarization and directivity matches closely a metallic split-block reference antenna. These results confirm the high surface quality and mechanical accuracy of the employed 3D printing and plating techniques and thus validate the process for rapid manufacturing of monolithic components up to 330 GHz.