Stacked corrugated horn antenna for D-Band wireless communication systems
Fig. 1: Cross-section of the rendered design for the corrugated horn, which widens from a 1-mm circular aperture to a 7-mm radiation aperture over a length of 20 mm.
Fig. 1: Cross-section of the rendered design for the corrugated horn, which widens from a 1-mm circular aperture to a 7-mm radiation aperture over a length of 20 mm.
Fig. 3: Comparison of simulated and measured farfield characteristics of the corrugated horn.
Based on preliminary developments of a stacked corrugated horn operating in the W-band, we have subsequently designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized a corrugated horn antenna for operation in the D-band (Fig. 1).
Corrugated horn antennas are particularly advantageous for microwave communication links because they exhibit highly symmetric radiation patterns, low cross-polarization levels, and high aperture and radiation efficiencies. These properties improve signal fidelity, suppress undesired polarization components, and reduce transmission losses. In the context of green information and communication technologies (ICT), such performance attributes contribute to more energy-efficient transmission systems, as less transmit power is required to achieve a specified link margin. This reduces overall power consumption and supports the development of sustainable communication infrastructures.
The newly developed antenna, designed for operation in the D-band frequency range (110 - 170 GHz), is specified with a nominal center frequency of 150 GHz. The principal objective is a multilayer design that fulfills stringent performance requirements, specifically an operational bandwidth exceeding 10 GHz and a realized gain greater than 20 dBi.
The antenna assembly is realized by stacking layers of laser-cut aluminum alloy sheets with thicknesses of 50 µm and 200 µm (Fig. 2). The plates are mechanically secured using a tapered transition, fabricated from an aluminum block via wire electrical discharge machining (wire-EDM). This taper provides the geometrical and electromagnetic transition from the rectangular WR-6 waveguide to the circular aperture of the horn antenna.
The strong agreement between measurement and simulation demonstrates a reliable and predictable design, which is critical for efficient system integration and substantially reduces the necessity for iterative redesign. Consequently, this leads to shorter development cycles, decreased material consumption, and a lower associated environmental footprint. Furthermore, the low reflection coefficient (below -20 dB) indicates negligible power loss due to impedance mismatch, ensuring that a greater proportion of the transmitted energy is effectively radiated rather than dissipated as heat. This behavior directly enhances the overall energy efficiency of high-frequency communication systems.
Moreover, the stable radiation pattern observed across the 140 - 160 GHz frequency band supports consistent link performance (Fig. 3). Although the realized gain of 18.5 dBi is slightly below the design target of 20 dBi, it nonetheless provides adequate directivity for highly focused point-to-point links. This facilitates efficient spectrum utilization and mitigates co-channel interference – both of which are critical requirements for energy-efficient and sustainable wireless communication networks.
This work was partly funded by the German BMFTR within the "Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland (FMD)" framework under ref. 16FMD02 as well as within the project "GreenICT@FMD" under ref. 16ME0505.