3-D Printer Based Lens Design Method for Integrated Lens Antennas

We propose a new and straightforward dielectric lens design method to increase the gain of integrated lens antennas (ILAs). Our lens is divided into several cone-shaped radial sections. Each section consists of specific permittivity to provide desired phase delays for the waves passing through the section. Our method does not depend on the operating frequencies and the physical appearance of the lens, because all the radial sections share one common phase center as a starting point. Accordingly, to change the main beam direction, we only need to rearrange the sections. However, the required permittivity is all different in every section, which is extremely difficult to be realized using conventional dielectric materials. To fabricate the required permittivity based on an effective medium theory, we use a cutting-edge three-dimensional printing technology. Consequently, we can obtain all the required permittivity using only one base printing material. Through experiments, we can show that our lens not only can form a desired beam but also can increase gain in the target direction, which proves the validity of our lens design method.