Abstract
This paper presents an H-plane SIW horn antenna whose directivity is
enhanced using holey unit cells along the horn flaring. By wisely
drilling the horn antenna, it is possible to reduce the phase error in
the aperture which is a common problem in horn antennas if the optimum
dimensions are not employed. An analysis of the distribution of the unit
cells along the horn antenna has been carried out to achieve the desired
equivalent refractive indices. By changing the hole radius, different
equivalent refractive indices can be tuned with a wideband performance.
This fact enables the implementation of a collimation zone inside the
horn antenna which transforms the pseudo-circular wavefront into a
quasi-planar one in the radiating aperture. The produced directivity is
similar to the horn antenna with the optimum dimensions but a
longitudinal reduction of 53.7% and a higher realized gain are
achieved. A holey SIW horn antenna is designed and manufactured. The
measured results show an impedance bandwidth performance below -10 dB
from 34.3 GHz to 44.5 GHz (25.9%) with a realized gain above 10 dBi.
The gain difference regarding a SIW horn antenna without the collimation
zone is about 2-3 dBi in the operating frequency range.