Design of a 3D Printed Gradient Index Lens Using High Permittivity Ceramic

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the design of a gradient index (GRIN) horn-integrated lens using a zircona lattice printed using a Nanoparticle Jetting process. The electrical properties of the ZrO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> lattice for a range of geometric parameters are simulated to realize a range of effective dielectric constants from 3 - 23. The properties of a 3D printed lattice are found to be consistent with the simulations. A shortened horn antenna combined with a flat GRIN lens is designed to collimate the beam and enhance directivity. The simulated directivity is 14.6 dBi at 15 GHz, which is 6.2 dB higher than the same horn without the lens.