ABSTRACT Radio frequency (RF) wireless communication in fifth generation (5G) networks leverages high frequencies to offer higher data rates but has limited range due to stronger signal attenuation. To counteract this loss, gradient refractive index (GRIN) lenses focus transmitted RF waves by spatially varying the dielectric constant of the lens material. GRIN lenses require high resolution manufacturing methods when based on lattices, making them well‐suited for additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as vat photopolymerization (VPP). Conventional VPP methods typically use a single resin, limiting the achievable dielectric constant gradient, limiting the design space, and precluding low‐profile lens designs. Here, we exploit multi‐material VPP to realize low profile lenses enabled by a greater achievable range in dielectric constant using different feedstock resins in the same print. We fabricate gyroid lattice lens designs, and measured results demonstrate that the low‐profile lenses achieve a realized gain enhancement up to 18 dB across 10–18 GHz, matching the high‐gain performance of conventional VPP‐printed lenses while operating at a fraction of the thickness. These results highlight the potential of multi‐material additive manufacturing to enable more compact RF lenses to increase signal gain in advanced telecommunication devices without sacrificing device size.
Romangsuriat et al. (Thu,) studied this question.