ERI: Novel Dielectric Antennas for Microwave and mmWave Communication and Imaging Systems

North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro NC

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Wireless communication has now evolved into the millimeter wave (mmWave) era, and imaging systems operating at mmWave frequencies for autonomous driving, security checkpoint and non-destructive detection are also intensively pursued. For all such systems, energy-efficient and directive antennas and beamforming devices are critical components. While metallic antennas have been dominating the applications at the sub-6 GHz (below 6 GHz) frequency range, dielectric antennas, featuring high radiation efficiency and large design freedom in material and 3D geometry options, play an increasingly important role in high microwave and mmWave applications. The goal of this project is to develop novel dielectric antennas and compact beamforming devices for mmwave systems through both theoretical development of design frameworks and practical implementation using advanced ceramic additive manufacturing technology. The developed novel dielectric antenna systems will provide compact, low cost and energy-efficient front end solutions that find application in various wireless communication and mmWave imaging systems. The proposed research is also complemented by an education integration plan including course module development, and training of undergraduate and graduate researchers. Current research on dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) has been largely limited to canonical geometries, due to the lack of generalized design methods and suitable fabrication techniques for intricate high permittivity structures. Gradient-index (GRIN) lenses constitutes an alternative low cost beamforming solution, but reported implementations are primarily limited to bulky low-permittivity devices using printed plastics while limited ceramic implementations experience significant performance degradation. In this proposed research, we investigate the digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology for the fabrication of compact high-permittivity DRAs and GRIN lenses with complex geometries and material distributions, and develop novel design and synthesis methods for these devices that take advantage of these degrees of freedom. With successful execution, the proposed work is expected to bring new understandings to dielectric resonator antenna's operation principle and performance limits, and arouse novel design methods and implementation of compact directive beamforming devices. The application of ceramic-based additive manufacturing to microwave and electromagnetic devices will produce new experimental and measurement data for the 3D microwave printing community and fuse new research possibilities and directions across different disciplines. Lastly, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT), as the largest public HBCU, graduates the most African American engineers in the US. This puts the PI in a unique position to promote and impact the engineering research and education among minority groups. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.