Experimental Demonstration of a 43-dBi Gain Transmitarray in PCB Technology for Backhauling in the 300-GHz Band

In this article, a low-cost transmitarray antenna, fabricated using standard printed circuit board technology is reported, with application to point-to-point communications in the 300-GHz band. The proposed structure is vialess and comprises only three metal layers with tailored anisotropic properties in transmission. Based on a previously reported numerical model and design of the unit cell, a 3-bit 140×140-element transmitarray antenna is optimized and demonstrated. The transmission coefficients of the eight unit cells are characterized experimentally. They exhibit linear phase responses and high transmissivity in a 100-GHz bandwidth. A peak gain of 43.3 dBi and an aperture efficiency of 39.0% are measured. The prototype performance is comparable to that of state-of-the-art high-gain antennas leveraging on more expensive technologies.