Summary
International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation
2008
Session Number:1C03
Session:
Number:1C03-3
94GHz Single-Layer Slotted Waveguide Array by Diffusion Bonding of Laminated Thin Plates
Jiro Hirokawa, Miao Zhang, Makoto Ando,
pp.-
Publication Date:2008/10/27
Online ISSN:2188-5079
Summary:
We fabricate the single-layer slotted waveguide array antenna [1, 2] shown in Fig.1 in 94GHz band by diffusion bonding of laminated thin metal plates. In the conventional fabrication in 25GHz band, we used die-casting where a die for the feeding groove structure is expensive typically. Also, screwing between the feeding groove structure and the slotted plate near the feeding apertures could be difficult at 94GHz due to too narrow walls of 0.5mm thickness. Etching plates is cheap because we do not need a die at all. The single-layer slotted waveguide array antenna requires only three etching patterns. They are for the slotted plate, the side walls for the feeding groove structure and the base plate with a feeding aperture. A small number of the etching patterns reduce the fabrication cost. Diffusion bonding gives close electrical contact between the feeding groove structure and the slotted plate even at a high frequency such as 94GHz. The fabrication by diffusion bonding can be applied not only for the single-layer slotted waveguide array antennas but also for a conventional slotted waveguide array antenna [3] where a feeding waveguide is placed below radiating waveguides. Such double-layer structure cannot be fabricated easily by die-casting. It can be fabricated similarly to the single-layer structure by the diffusion bonding. The number of the etching patterns for the double layer structure is only five, which does not increase the fabrication cost very much.