A User-Friendly Glueless Solution for Dielectric Resonator Antennas Using a Probe-Feeding Technique [Antenna Applications Corner]

This article extends the glueless technology of a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) to its most popularly used probe-fed geometry to achieve a comprehensive solution in terms of adhesive-free stable deployment along with improved radiation characteristics. Obtaining reduced cross-polarized (XP) fields through the glueless technique for commercial use is demonstrated in this article for the first time. It incorporates a single unit-shaped ground plane along with a pair of horizontal pins inserted through the DRA body and clamped with the metallic units of the structure. The study is based on the HEM11d mode, and the design maintains unperturbed modal characteristics. This has been experimentally verified for a 4-GHz antenna indicating as much as a 6-dBi gain with about a 12-dB reduction in cross-polar fields. This should find potential uses in practical applications.