Performance Comparison of W-band Luneburg Lens Antenna: Additive versus Subtractive Manufacturing

This paper presents a comparison of millimeter-wave Luneburg lens antennas designed for an additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies. The proposed antennas are investigated in terms of technology and material limitations. An experimental characterization of the additively and subtractively manufactured Luneburg lens is carried out in W-band (75-110 GHz). The proposed lens antennas achieved realized gain of 18.18 dBi and 24.6 dBi at a frequency of 80 GHz, respectively. The right choice of the lenses building blocks and its material properties have significant effect on the overall antenna performance.