A Performance Comparison of a Ku-Band Conical Horn with an Inserted Cone-Sphere with Horns with an Integrated Dielectric Lens and Metamaterial Loading [Antenna Designer's Notebook]

This article presents a comparative study based on measurements and simulations of a Ku-band conical horn with an inserted metallic cone-sphere with horns having an integrated dielectric lens and meta material loading. The results revealed that the performance of the horn with the cone-sphere was better than that of the metamaterial-loaded horn. The performance of the horn with the cone-sphere was comparable to that of the horn with the dielectric lens. In addition, the horn with the cone-sphere offered advantages of lower weight and cost in comparison to the other horns under consideration.