Printed Hybrid Lens Antenna

A novel printed hybrid lens antenna made of a 2-layer phase shifting surface (PSS) has been developed. It is a hybrid lens because the required operation is achieved by a combination of true phase correction (similar to a conventional lens, and previously reported PSS phase-correcting lenses) and amplitude-only correction (similar to a Fresnel zone plate). A prototype is fabricated and measured, revealing that the hybrid lens antenna has roughly twice the aperture efficiency of a Fresnel zone plate, and half that of a conventional lens. It provides an attractive compromise between performance, fabrication complexity and cost.