3D-Printed Inhomogeneous Graded-Index Lenses For Antenna Applications

This article presents the realization of a 3D-printed graded-index (GRIN) lens, suitable for antenna applications. By tuning the effective permittivity of the host material using a subwavelength patterning, GRIN lenses can be used for increasing the antenna gain in a range from few gigahertz up to millimeter wave frequencies. This type of 3-D printing procedure is likely to enable many novel antenna and microwave devices based on 3-D metamaterial structures.