Millimeter-Wave Substrate Integrated Waveguide Antenna and Front-End Techniques for Gigabyte Point-to-Point Wireless Services

RESUME La relativement faible absorption atmospherique dans les bandes de frequences E et W a permis le developpement de nombreuses applications sans-fil. Les bandes de frequences de 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz et 94.1-97 GHz sont toutes assignees au spectre de communication sans-fil gigabyte par la Federal Communication Commission (FCC) des Etats-Unis. Lorsque la frequence augmente vers la region des ondes millimetriques, l’efficacite et la qualite des lignes micro-ruban sont affectees par de serieuses pertes de transmission et par l’interference inter-signaux. D’un autre cote, la technologie des guides d’ondes classique est demeuree populaire pour la conception de systemes haute perfomance dans la bande E/W. Cependant, cette technologie n’est pas appropriee pour une production a grande echelle et a faible cout a cause de sa structure encombrante et couteuse. De plus, la structure non-planaire des guide d’ondes rend difficile la connection a des composantes planaires actives ainsi qu’a d’autres lignes planaires telles que les lignes micro-ruban et les guides d’ondes coplanaires (CPW). Afin de remedier a ce probleme, les circuits integres aux substrats (SIC) ont ete proposes comme une solution a faible cout, a efficacite elevee, planaire et integree au substrat pour des applications a hautes-frequences. Les guides d’ondes integres aux substrats (SIW), faisant partie de la famille des SIC, possede non seulement les avantages des guides d’ondes rectangulaires mais aussi d’autres benefices comme un faible cout, une petite taille, un poids leger et la facilite de fabrication par les techniques de fabrication des PCB ou d’autres techniques. Dans cette these, nous elargissons la recherche sur les SIW en proposant et developpant une variete d’antennes innovatrices, de reseaux d’antennes et de composantes passives millimetriques qui sont appliques a la conception et a la demonstration de reseaux d’antennes integres et d’etages d’entree de systemes de communication en bande E/W. Les contributions scientifiques principales du present travail peuvent etre resumees comme suit: Un reseau d’antenne 4x4 utilisant la technologie des guides d’ondes integres au substrat (SIW) pour la conception de son reseau d’alimentation est propose et demontre. Des fentes longitudinales gravees sur la surface metallique du dessus du SIW sont utilisees pour alimenter les elements du reseau d’antennes. Des cubes composes d’un materiau dielectrique a faible permittivite sont places au-dessus de chaque reseau d’antenne 1x4 afin d’augmenter le gain des antennes patch. La largeur de bande de deux reseaux d’antennes 4x4 est d’environ 7.5 GHz (94.2-101.8 GHz) avec un gain de 19 dBi. ----------ABSTRACT The relatively low atmospheric absorption over E-band and W-band (frequency window) has been spurred many wireless applications. Frequency bands of 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz, and 94.1-97 GHz are all allocated by the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) as parts of gigabyte wireless spectrum. As frequency increases to millimeter wave region, the efficiency and quality of microstrip lines suffer from serious transmission losses and signal interferences. On the other hand, classical waveguide technology has been popular in the design of high-performance millimeter-wave systems at E/W-band. However, this technology is not suitable for low-cost and mass production because of its expensive and bulky structure. In addition, the non-planar structure of waveguide makes it difficult to get connected to planar active components and other planar lines such as microstrip line and coplanar waveguide (CPW). To overcome this bottleneck problem, substrate integrated circuits (SICs) have been proposed as low-cost and high-efficient integrated planar structures for high-frequency applications. Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW), which is part of the SICs family, has manifested not only the advantages of rectangular waveguide but also other benefits such as low cost, compact size, light weight, and easy fabrication using PCB or other processing techniques. In this Ph.D. thesis, we extend the research of SIW to the proposal and development of various innovative antennas, antenna arrays and millimetre-wave passive components, which are applied to the design and demonstration of integrated antenna arrays and E/W-band front-end sub-systems. The principal scientific contributions of this thesis work can be summarized in the following: A 4×4 antenna array is proposed and demonstrated using substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) technology for the design of its feed network. Longitudinal slots etched on the SIW top metallic surface are used to drive the array antenna elements. Dielectric cubes made of low-permittivity material are placed on top of each 1×4 antenna array to increase the gain of circular patch antenna elements. Measured impedance bandwidths of two 4×4 antenna arrays are about 7.5 GHz (94.2–101.8 GHz) with 19 dBi gain. Design of planar dielectric rod antenna is proposed and studied, which is fed by Substrate Integrated Non-Radiative Dielectric (SINRD) waveguide. This antenna presents numerous interesting features such as broad bandwidth (94-104 GHz), relatively high and stable gain, use of high dielectric constant substrate, and substrate-oriented end-fire radiation.