Prism-based Leaky-Lens Antennas at 60 GHz for 5G Point-to-Point Communication Links

Two cost-effective implementations of a leaky-lens antenna at 60 GHz are proposed for high-throughput 5G communication links. The leaky-wave feed is realized in gap-waveguide technology, where the radiation from the slit is controlled with glide-symmetric holes. The beam-squint of the leaky-wave radiation is mitigated, owing to the coupling of a complementary dispersive prism. Here, two prisms are implemented, one with glide-symmetric holes, and another with substrate-integrated holes (SIHs), both integrated in parallel plates with the leaky wave feeding. Thanks to glide symmetry, better control of the leakage rate, lower costs, and better tolerance to manufacturing are achieved in comparison with the non-glide holey counterpart. In addition, the SIH-based design exhibits a substantially enhanced bandwidth with even better robustness. In the analysis of the leaky-wave feed, more accuracy and reduced computational time is achieved by using a multi-mode method. Both antennas show stable radiation patterns, featuring high efficiency, high gain, and low side lobe levels.