An Overview of Recent Development of the Gap-Waveguide Technology for
mmWave and sub-THz Applications
Abstract
Interest in the mmWave and sub-THz bands for next-generation
communication and radar systems is increasingly growing due to the
available electromagnetic spectrum. This has led to an urgent need to
develop low-loss and low-fabrication-cost technologies that perform well
at these frequencies. The Gap Waveguide (GW) technology is an emerging
and viable contender for the development of radio frequency passive
components and antenna systems. The GW technology is based on the
parallel-plate waveguide principle. According to Maxwell’s equations,
ideally, no wave propagates within a structure if the top plate consists
of a perfect electric conductor (PEC) while the bottom plate is a
perfect magnetic conductor (PMC), and the distance between the plates is
less than a quarter wavelength. This PMC structure creates high surface
impedance characteristics which provide cutoff to all propagating modes
within the airgap. In practice, these magnetic conductors can be created
artificially using an Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structure. Based on
this simple principle, considerable research and development of novel
components with high performance has seen the light in the past decade.
The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of current
advancements in the design and technical implementations of GW-based
antenna systems and components. Practical applications and the industry
interest in the developments of the GW technology for mmWave and sub-THz
applications have also been scrutinized.