The SWE Gapwave antenna - A new wideband thin planar antenna for 60GHz communications

The 60GHz short-range wireless communication system has gained a lot of attention because it can offer high rate data communications with the free-licensed band. Development of wideband, high gain, compact 60GHz antennas is a crucial issue in the system. We present a concept of a new wideband thin planar antenna, the Sheet Waveguide Element (SWE) antenna with gap waveguide technology, for 60GHz communication systems in the paper. This antenna can operate over a wideband with a very thin configuration and have a potential to have very low manufacture cost.