A wideband low cost E-band SIW antenna array for high capacity mmWave radio

In this paper, a novel E-band antenna array with high bandwidth is presented. The distribution network is based on Substrate-Integrated-Waveguide (SIW) technology and consists of several H-plane T-junctions in the lower layer. The coupling slot aperture has been designed with a special offset from the center axis of the waveguide for strong excitation of the SIW antenna. The radiating element has 3-dB beam-width of 25 degrees in E plane and 30 degrees in H plane making it compatible with beam steering. To show the validity of the approach, a 4×4 E-band array prototype is presented in this paper. The E-band antenna array is approximately 12mm×12mm in size realized by Rogers 4350 substrate. The antenna has been optimized for 71–86 GHz E-band frequency range. The broadside measured gain from 77–86 GHz is better than 15 dBi. This concept can be used for any application where SIW transmission can be implemented, and is compatible with low cost multilayer technologies.