3D Printed Cylindrical Luneburg Lens

Two-dimensional (2D) Luneburg lenses are attracting increasing research interest due to their unique beam collimation and steering capabilities. This paper explores the design and potential applications of a 2D Luneburg lens using PLA (polylactic acid) as the 3D printing material. Unlike the conventional Luneburg lens with different dielectric layers, we propose a design that utilizes only one material, and the refractive indices are varied by introducing air voids inside the substrate without compromising the structural or mechanical integrity of the lens. When fed with a waveguide, the proposed lens works in the X-band with a combined gain of approximately 12.7 dBi when fed by a waveguide. The lens was fabricated and verified by measurements.