Taylor-Weighting Ridge Gap Waveguide Feed Network for Low-Profile Fully Metallic Array Antennas

This letter showcases advancements in metallic array antennas tailored for millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) applications, supported by novel highly compact unbalanced dividers conceived in ridge gap waveguide technology. This innovative approach streamlines the feeding network by enabling high-weight-ratio dividers without adding design complexity. The study presents an 8 × 8 Ka-band antenna array employing Taylor amplitude tapering and featuring a compact corporate-fed design that effectively mitigates coupling effects between the feeding network and radiating elements. Experimental results highlight promising characteristics, boasting a matching better than
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10 dB across the entire band of interest [(29 to 31) GHz] and secondary lobes below
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20 dB while achieving a radiation efficiency exceeding 82%.