3D Printed Coaxial Millimeter-wave Leaky-wave Slot Antenna

Difficult-to-fabricate geometries are now possible and can deliver new antenna functionality and extend performance, small volumes, wider bandwidth, narrow-beam directionality, and so on. This paper presents a leak-wave slot antenna using a coaxial cable based on proliferation of new 3D printing technologies. One terminal of the coaxial slot antenna is short-circuited and the other terminal is fed by strip-line. This slot antenna operates over a frequency range between 21 and 26.9 GHz with a gain over this bandwidth varying from 8.98 to 10.1dBi. The frequency varies the radiation sweeps from backward direction to the forward direction with a total scanning range of 50deg. Compact size of 36.5mm×4mm(H×D) is achieved by using photosensitive resin and low melting point metal. This design of cable slot antenna array has the characteristics of directed radiation pattern.