Cost-Effective Design of a Reflectarray Antenna for 5G and Millimeter-Wave Applications Utilizing 3-D-Printed Components

A novel low-cost 3-D-printed reflectarray is proposed based on a spatial phase-shifting technique. It consists of a layer of patches and a 3-D-printed underlayer covered by copper tape that acts as a ground plane. As part of this study, a low-cost fabrication technique is used to design a reflectarray for 5G millimeter-wave frequencies. At 35 GHz, far-field patterns for various radiation angles have been observed, alongside the achievement of reflection magnitude and phase characteristics spanning the frequency range from 20 to 42 GHz. A good agreement is observed between the simulated and measured radiation patterns for the fabricated prototypes. The proposed reflectarray structure is more than 70% efficient.