Broadband 3D-Printed Dielectric Rod Antenna with a Flat Peak Gain Over a Wide Bandwidth

This paper presents a broadband 3D-printed dielectric rod antenna, which is fed by an N-type coaxial connector that excites a ridge waveguide as the feed source. The impedance bandwidth can cover the 6-16 GHz range. By controlling the width, length, and cross-sectional shape of the dielectric rod, the transmission of electromagnetic waves on the rod can be manipulated, thereby achieving a flat gain variation over a wide frequency band. Test results show that the proposed 3D printed dielectric rod antenna has a gain of more than 10 dBi in the 6-16 GHz (90.9%) range, with a peak gain reaching 14.9dBi. And the gain variation is less than 2.5 dB in the 7.8-16 GHz (68.9%) range. The efficiency of the antenna is higher than 50% in the 6-16 GHz range. The proposed antenna offers advantages of low cost, ease of fabrication, ultra-wide bandwidth, and flat gain, and exhibits promising applications in wireless communication, and microwave measurement systems.