A 3D Printed Lens Antenna for 5G Applications

A switchable multi-antenna architecture for lens-assisted beamsteering in the Ka-band region allocated for 5G communications (24-30 GHz) is proposed. The radiating elements are bow-tie antennas mounted with a 3D printed high-permittivity dielectric lens (ε
_r
= 10). A 5-element array is simulated showing switchable 30° beam steering over a 120° sector with 19 dB maximum gain. Single antenna measurements of a scaled prototype with a Polylactic Acid (PLA) lens (ε
_r
= 2.7) show gains around 11 dB, in agreement with projected performances.