Photoresist-based resonator antenna array

Photoresist-based polymer-ceramic composites are proposed for single exposure, direct deep X-ray lithography fabrication of dielectric resonator antenna arrays in thick layers. DRA elements based on fabrication in a 2.3 mm thick SU-8/alumina microcomposite layer are combined in a 3×3 antenna array to demonstrate an increase in gain from 5.5 to 13.6 dB at 23 GHz. A second ground plane can be used to reduce backward radiation in the slot-coupled elements by almost 6 dB. An array structure fabricated in 2.3 mm thick SU-8 using deep XRL demonstrates the concept. Thin photoresist connections between array elements could be advantageous for batch fabricating a complicated array directly as a single structure.