An LTCC-Based Antenna Array for D-Band Terahertz Communication
Shengnan Zhao, Yizhen Xu, Yuandan Dong
Abstract
In this letter, a novel patch antenna array with via and slot loading based on low-loss substrate integrated waveguide feeding network is investigated for D-band applications. The radiating patch element is designed with vias and modified geometry for good broadband impedance matching response and high radiation gain. The feeding network provides the same magnitude and in-phase excitation for the radiating elements in the array. To verify the proposed array design, a 4 × 4 array prototype is implemented by low-temperature cofired ceramic fabrication method and tested. The proposed dual resonance concept is validated by the good agreement between the simulated and measured results. The measurement results of the fabricated prototype show that the proposed design can achieve an 12.5% bandwidth with | <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">11</sub> |< −10 dB (150 to 170 GHz) and realize a maximum gain of 16.8 dBi at 166 GHz. With the combined advantages of wideband, low fabrication difficulty, and stable broadside radiation, the proposed array antenna is considered as a promising candidate for future D-band terahertz phased array communication.