Prism-based Leaky-Lens Antennas at 60 GHz for 5G Point-to-Point Communication Links

Two cost-effective implementations of a leaky-lens antenna at 60 GHz are proposed for high-throughput 5G communication links. The leaky-wave feed is realized in gap-waveguide technology, where the radiation from the slit is controlled with glide-symmetric holes. The beam-squint of the leaky-wave radiation is mitigated, owing to the coupling of a complementary-dispersive prism. Here, two prisms are implemented, one with glide-symmetric holes, and another with substrate-integrated-holes (SIHs), both integrated in parallel plates with the leaky-wave feeding. Thanks to glide symmetry, better control of the leakage rate, lower costs, and better tolerance to manufacturing are achieved in comparison with the non-glide holey counterpart. In addition, the SIH-based design exhibits a substantially enhanced bandwidth with even better robustness. In the analysis of the leaky-wave feed, more accuracy and reduced computational time is achieved by using a multi-mode method. Both antennas show stable radiation patterns, featuring high efficiency, high gain, and low side lobe levels.