A 77 GHz near-field probe with integrated illuminating waveguide

In this paper, a near-field probe with integrated illuminating waveguide for frequencies around 77 GHz is introduced. For such high frequencies, alignment of transmitter and receiver in the near-field measurement setup are difficult. So the purpose is integrating both devices into one setup for an easy and reproducible measurement procedure. The measurement probe is used in order to characterize individual patches on the surface of reflectarray antennas, placing the device a few millimeters above the antenna surface. This requires a high spatial resolution and a insignificant influence of the probe on the examined structure. The ability of the developed probe has been investigated in simulations and has been verified in near-field measurements at reflectarray structures for 77 GHz.