Effects of a dielectric coating on leaky-wave long-slot waveguide antennas

A theoretical and experimental study is made of the effects of a dielectric of arbitrary thickness, permittivity, and loss tangent upon the aperture field distributions and the far-field radiation pattern characteristics of long-slot leaky-wave antennas cut on the broadwall of a rectangular waveguide and mounted in an infinite ground plane. The relevant integral equations for determining the aperture fields are developed and then solved using the moment method. Expressions for the far-field radiation patterns and isolation responses are developed. Calculated and experimental results for several antennas are presented and discussed.