Wideband and Large Coverage Continuous Beam Steering Antenna in the 60-GHz Band

A wideband and continuous beam steering flat antenna is proposed in the 60-GHz band. The antenna consists of two layers and is made of two parts: 1) a feeding network and 2) a slotted plate. The relative rotation movement between the two antenna parts generates a phase gradient across the radiating part, and a continuous beam is generated in the upper hemisphere. The mechanical movement between the two antenna parts is facilitated by the use of gap waveguides; therefore, no electrical contact is needed between the two metallic parts. To validate the antenna concept, an antenna has been designed and fabricated in the 60-GHz band. Good agreement has been obtained between the simulations and the measurements. The antenna field of view is up to ±60°. The antenna bandwidth is up to 13% for VSWR <;2. The loss within the antenna structure is estimated to be around 0.86 dB.