3D-Printed Dual-Reflector Antenna with Self-Supported Dielectric Subreflector

Abstract

A dual-reflector antenna with a self-supported subreflector is proposed. The supporting structure is made of dielectric material and it is part of the feeding of the antenna, which is based on Cassegrain optics and works at X-band. The feeding subsystem includes the primary feed, subreflector supporting structure and subreflector surface in a single dielectric piece, resulting in a compact, light and low-cost solution. First, the subreflector and its feeding subsystem, based on a Dielectric Rectangular Waveguide (DRW) along with a hyperboloid, are described, and the phase center of the DRW and the antenna optics are defined. Then, two effective techniques to mitigate the refraction caused by the dielectric were proposed. Finally, the design was validated through the fabrication of a Cassegrain antenna using a 3D printing technique. Measurements and simulations show a very good agreement and an antenna of 26 dBi of directivity with overall very good performances is obtained, validating both the proposed subreflector and the design technique.