W-band Waveguide Antenna Elements for Wideband and Wide-Scan Array Antenna Applications For Beyond 5G

Paper in proceeding, 2021

Energy-efficient and highly-compact beam-steering array antennas at W- and D-band frequencies are considered as future enabling technologies for beyond-5G applications. However, most existing solutions at these frequencies are limited to the fixed-beam and frequency-dependent beam-steering scenarios. This paper aims to fill in this knowledge gap by investigating various types of antenna elements as potential candidates for wideband and wide-scan arrays at W-band. We consider open-ended ridge and ridge gap waveguide radiating elements that could overcome the physical complexities associated with the integration of elements in large-scale electronically scanned arrays. An infinite array approach is used, where we have adopted a triangular array grid and introduced E- and H-plane grooves to the element design to enhance the scan and bandwidth performance. Cross-comparison of several simulated array designs leads to the final array elements with 25% impedance bandwidth over the scan range of ±40° in both the E- and H-planes.