Increasing Efficiency of Leaky-Wave Antenna by Using Substrate Integrated Slab Waveguide

This letter presents a possibility of increasing the radiation efficiency of double-sided leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) by using the substrate integrated slab waveguide (SISW). The idea originates from the fact that double-sided LWAs usually operate on the second mode, and the attenuation constant of the second mode in the SISW is smaller than that in the standard substrate integrated waveguide (SIW). This inherently leads to an increase of antenna radiation efficiency, as less power is dissipated by the traveling wave. In order to prove this concept, two antennas have been designed with the same characteristics (central frequency of 28 GHz, pointing angle of 50°, and beamwidth of 10°), one based on SIW and the other based on SISW. Our experimental verification yields 64% radiation efficiency for the SIW LWA and 80% radiation efficiency for the SISW LWA, thus proving the theoretical and simulated predictions.