Analysis of an octagonal micromachined horn antenna for submillimeter-wave applications

An analysis is presented of a new horn antenna, fabricated by a novel micromachining technique, that uses crystallographic etching of silicon and ultraviolet lithography of an ultra-thick photoresist (SU-8). The horn was found to have low cross-polarized field levels and a predicted Gaussian coupling efficiency of 92.5%. The horn shape is governed by the crystal planes of the silicon substrate and the thickness of the photoresist and has up to four independent design parameters that allow a wide range of antenna patterns. A design for the horn that yields symmetric beam patterns was investigated by computer analysis, microwave scale modeling, and measurements of a micromachined horn at 585 GHz. The major features of the 585-GHz beam patterns agree well with the computer-generated and scaled beam patterns. We have thus demonstrated a new micromachinable horn that has great potential for integration into array structures.