High Power Dielectric Reflectarray Antenna using 3D Printing Technology.

A high power dielectric reflectarray with a continuous variation of the effective permittivity of a dielectric slab is proposed, based on a cross-shaped element implemented in the slab. The improved method used to retrieve the effective permittivity from the S parameters shows that a continuously changing effective relative permittivity from 1.25 to 3.4 can be reached by adjusting the notch width of the cross-shape, yielding a full 360° range of phase shifts at 9.3GHz. An array of 10×10 elements is designed to verify the radiation properties. Simulation results show that a main beam direction of 25° and a maximum gain of 19.5dB can be realized at the 9.3GHz center frequency. The power capacity of the element reaches 371kW, opening the possibility of high power applications. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), a specific approach in 3D printing, was employed for the fabrication of a prototype. This technology significantly reduces material cost and manufacturing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]