Dielectric 3D-printing for millimeter wave (mmWave) toologies
Abstract
Nowadays many communication systems have been migrating towards higher frequency bands, targeting millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-mmWave bands, mainly due to the bandwidth requirement of these new systems. This migration comes with new issues to be solved. Some problems that can be found by increasing the operational frequency of the devices can be related in three main aspects. First, with the reduction of the operational wavelength, many dimensions of the devices will be reduced in proportions that can make them difficult to implement using traditional manufacturing techniques. A second issue is related to the propagation losses, which are larger when the frequency increases, and the conductive losses can be more important at higher frequencies, which can imply an important degradation of efficiency of the radiating elements. One technology that can help to solve these problems is the implementation of mmWave devices using dielectric 3D-printing.The reduction of costs of high-resolution 3D-printers, jointly with the development of new dielectric low-loss materials made 3D-printing an extraordinary candidate for the development of prototypes and final implementationsin a cost-effective way. Therefore, this technology can help to reduce the gap between the issues of implementation in mmWave band and actual working topologies for the communication systems. For this proposal, we will focus on three different solutions that can be implemented in a cost-effective way using 3D-printing, to solve the aforementioned issues.To solve the aforementioned issues, we propose to target them with the implementation of different 3D-printed topologies. First, targeting the increment of the conductive losses that implies operating in higher bands, we will design and implement 3D-printed dielectric resonator antennas (DRA). These antennas are well known to be one of the candidates to overcome the problems of conductive losses due to the fact that they are mainlydone using dielectrics. The problem with these antennas is that they are quite limited regarding the shapes and dielectric permittivities that can be used in a relatively low-cost and simple manufacturing way. The introduction of 3D-printing allows to reimagine the technology in terms of shapes, permittivity values, and overall weight of the structures. The propagation losses issue will be treated by the implementation of different dielectric lenses and polarizers. 3D-printing allows the manufacture of these structures using graded index, transformation optics and the use of metasurfaces or higher symmetries that allows the implementation of flat lenses, crucial when integrating the lenses into the final application. Another interesting topology is the wave polarizers, in particular the linear-to-circular polarizers. Many systems, such as satellite communication or UAVs communication systems use circular polarization (CP) due to their robustness in multipath conditions. However, the implementation of CP antennas, when needed for more particular radiation patterns, may need complex feeding networks. Polarizers can be seen as a screen that can change the wave properties of any LP antenna, expanding the topologies that can be implemented.A third subject is the power handling and integration of the structures by combining capabilities. Power handling can be an advantage when using purely dielectric systems as they can avoid undesired discharges, and can be used in harsh environments. On the other hand, 3D-printing permits the unique combination of different previously named candidate topologies, e.g, a dielectric lens with an integrated polarizer or a DRA in which the CP is obtained by anisotropic engineered materials. In brief, the project will emphasize on the design, study and integration of different and novel 3D-printed dielectric topologies, focused on three different structures and their combination, that are candidates to solve inherent problems on operating in mmWave bands.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 03, 2023
- Source ID
- N629092312016
Entities
People
- Francisco Pizarro
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso
- United States Navy