Lens Array Antenna for 71-76/81-86 GHz Point-to-Point Applications

The paper presents design of a lens array antenna dedicated for 71-76/81-86 GHz point-to-point applications. The proposed antenna concept is based on a combination of four hemielliptical dielectric lenses with the diameter D = 60 mm each and a waveguide distribution system that provides in-phase excitations for all lenses. Designed lens array antenna provides two times reduction of the longitudinal dimension comparing to classical integrated lens antennas without performance degradation. Correspondingly, antenna weight reduces by 25%. Measurement results of the fabricated antenna show that the S-11 level is below -10 dB in the whole 71-86 GHz band. Measured antenna gain in the considered frequency band is 37.6 - 38.8 dBi with the half power beamwidth below 2 degrees. The antenna complies with the European regulation requirements in terms of antenna gain, beamwidth and radiation pattern mask that allows considering the designed lens array antenna as a perspective one for implementation in millimeter-wave point-to-point applications.