E-Band Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes-Based Air-Filled Waveguide

This letter presents a new type of E-band vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs)-based air-filled waveguide (AFWG). This original concept is based on the use of bundle of VACNTs as equivalent WG’s metallic lateral walls. The WG is designed by applying a full-wave three dimensions electromagnetic software and an equivalent VACNTs bulk model. Then, the WG is fabricated using a CMOS compatible CNTs transfer process and a dedicated assembly process. For the first time, the concept of the CNTs-based AFWG is validated by measurements, and an experimental attenuation constant is estimated at 0.5 dB/mm between 81 and 86 GHz.