Low-Side Lobes 3D Printed Slotted Waveguide Antenna Array for Millimeter-Wave Communication Systems

In this paper, a 3D printed slotted waveguide antenna array is proposed for millimeter-wave communication systems at 28 GHz. The design method consists of the characterization of an isolated slot and then development of the linear and planar arrays. The proposed linear and planar arrays are 3D printed and metallized using a low-cost technique. A non-uniform 3D printed waveguide-based feeding is also designed to feed the planar array for achieving low-side lobes (< -20 dB) in the E-plane. Corrugations are added to reduce the side lobes of the planar array at the edges. The proposed antenna design is validated through experimental results suggesting an operating bandwidth of 15.8% between 26.45 GHz and 31 GHz for the linear array and 14.2% between 26.4 GHz and 30.4 GHz for the planar array with corrugations. The linear and planar arrays have high gain performance greater than 12.0 dBi and 19.0 dBi, respectively, over their operating bandwidths. The proposed arrays are suitable candidates for various applications operating in the millimeter-wave frequency bands, featuring cost-effectiveness, reduced weight, high gain, and excellent overall performance in terms of radiation.