A Cost-Effective W-band Slotted Waveguide Antenna

The remarkable progress in millimeter-wavelength radar and communication systems has given a strong motivation for further developing slotted waveguide antennas. In this paper, a novel W-band monopulse antenna is presented. The antenna represents a circular disk with 2044 radiating slots arranged within a 140 mm diameter circle. It is equipped with an integrated dual-plane monopulse comparator. The antenna gain exceeds 39 dBi. The total antenna weight and thickness are as low as 170 g and 4.5 mm, respectively. The design algorithm capable of achieving necessary electrical characteristics and satisfying rigidity requirements and manufacturing limitations is described. CNC machining is used to fabricate the antenna parts which makes serial production of such antennas both cost-effective and well reproducible.