Compact Rotman Lens Structure Configurations to Support Millimeter Wave Devices

The development of modern communication devices for the latest technologies such as 5G has brought the millimeter wave technology into the spotlight because it offers higher data rates and bandwidth.Since highly directional transmissions are necessary for communication in these frequencies due to high path loss and atmospheric absorption, the use of adaptive antennas is inevitable.Rotman lenses have long been used as analog beam forming networks to support linear array antennas for electronic scanning.Their broad bandwidth and planar structure make them ideal for a variety of applications.However, their overall dimensions can be prohibitive especially for large scan angles.In this paper, we propose a few compact configurations that reduce the overall dimensions of Rotman lens as much as 50% without degrading its performance.