Towards Additively Manufactured High Gain Reflectarray for 5G Applications

This article introduces an innovative pencil-beam high-gain reflectarray antenna designed for 5G applications through additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. The proposed antenna design features square patch unit cells fabricated with AM, which provides significant advantages over traditional PCB-based methods. By leveraging AM, the antenna achieves superior precision, lower production costs, and eliminates challenges such as bonding procedures and fixed layer thicknesses. Operating at 38.5 GHz, the design delivers exceptional performance, with a realized gain of 23.11 dBi, a directivity of 23.3 dBi, and a narrow beamwidth of 10.1°, resulting in a sharp pencil beam. These results demonstrate the antenna’s suitability for high-frequency, directional applications, including satellite communications, radar systems, and next-generation wireless networks. This study highlights the transformative potential of AM in advancing high-performance antenna designs for modern telecommunication technologies.