Dual-Polarized, Broadside, Thin Dielectric Resonator Antenna for Microwave Imaging

We present a design for a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with dual-polarization characteristics. This antenna is designed for use in a three-dimensional (3-D) microwave tomography system to collect copolar and cross-polar responses. The broadside radiation and dual polarization are achieved by exciting the fundamental mode of the DRA as well as by using two elements of the DRA that are perpendicular to each other. Compared to the conventional rectangular DRA, the proposed antenna is reduced in size by a factor of 6.7. The proposed DRA offers a measured bandwidth of 72% (2.6-5.52 GHz). The performance and radiation characteristics of the antenna are verified experimentally.