Abstract
A leaky wave antenna for applications in the 24-28 GHz range is proposed. It is constructed with an open dielectric waveguide and a reflective diffraction grating whose grooves are filled with dielectric. The geometric parameters of this antenna are found to provide a radiation pattern with one dominant main lobe and high (more than 98%) efficiency in this frequency range. Filling the grating grooves with dielectric, demonstrated for the first time in the laboratory prototype presented in this work, shows promise for the design of quasi-optical resonators with a single eigen oscillation. The monotonic dependence of the direction of the main lobe of the radiation pattern on frequency allows the proposed antenna to be used in radiometers and other applications where frequency-angle selection of signals is necessary.