This report focuses on a design method for gradient index (GRIN) lens antennas with controllable aperture field distributions. First, we derive differential equations representing optical paths in a gradient index medium with two optical surfaces by using geometrical optics, and then we formulate a novel design method for GRIN lens antennas based on these equations. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is applied as a nonlinear least squares method to satisfy two conditions-focusing and shaping the aperture field distribution-thus realizing a prescribed radiation pattern. The conditions can be fulfilled by optimizing only the index (or permittivity) distribution, whereas the shapes of the optical surfaces remain as free parameters that can be utilized for other purposes, such as reducing reflection losses that occur on the surfaces, as illustrated in this report. A plano-concave GRIN lens is designed as an example, applying the proposed method, to realize a sidelobe level of -30 dB pseudo Taylor distribution, and a maximum sidelobe level of -29.1 dB was observed, indicating it is sufficiently accurate for practical use. In addition, we discuss the convergence of this method considering the relationship between the number of the initial conditions and the differential order of the design equations, factoring in scale invariance of the design equations.

We present a review of several types of microwave antennas made of metamaterials, including the resonant electrically small antennas, metamaterial-substrate patch antennas, metamaterial flat-lens antennas, and Luneburg lens antennas. In particular, we propose a new type of conformal antennas using anisotropic zero-index metamaterials, which have high gains and low sidelobes. Numerical simulations and experimental results show that metamaterials have unique properties to design new antennas with high performance.

We fabricated a p-i-n photodiode (PD) with an integrated microlens, and demonstrated its high performance capabilities including high speed (35 GHz), high responsivity (0.8 A/W), and large misalignment tolerance (26 µm), and an error-free 25-Gbit/s 10-km single-mode fiber transmission by using a 100-Gbit/s Ethernet quadplexer receiver module with the PDs.

Multilayered volumetric composite right/left handed metamaterial structures are investigated. The present structure is composed of conducting mesh plates and dielectric layers including dielectric resonators. The 2-D composite right/left handed metamaterial structure is designed for the in-plane propagation. Propagation mode analysis was made for the volumetric structure under the periodic boundary condition along the normal to the layers as well as for finite number of layered type for comparison. The negative-refractive-index planar lenses were designed and fabricated for the demonstration. It is found from the numerical simulation that the beam focusing through the planar lens with large number of layers is clearly confirmed in both magnitude and phase distribution of the fields. On the other hand, for small number of layers, the beam spot is not found in the magnitude distribution due to the effect of discontinuities between air and designed structure at the top and bottom surfaces, but is still found in the phase distribution. The effect of number of stacked layers on the propagation characteristics is discussed by comparing the numerical simulation results with the measurement.

We propose to integrate a single lens on top of multiple OLEDs. Angular distribution of the light emitted from the lens surface is altered by turning on the OLEDs selectively. We can use such a light source as a backlight for a liquid crystal display to switch its viewing angle range and/or to display multiple images in different directions. Pixel-level integration would allow one to construct an OLED display with a similar emission angle control.

Liquid crystal (LC) lenses that have hole-patterned electrodes and are driven by two voltages used as imaging devices are reported. Two different LC lenses are applied in image formation systems. One LC lens is used with a polarizer in a relay lens scope, and another LC lens that is polarization independent is used in a TV lens. Both LC lenses play roles of focusing elements in lens systems; objects are separately brought into focus by the LC lenses. Very sharp black-and-white and color images are formed by the systems.

Simulation and fabrication results on back-illuminated 4-channel photodiode (PD) array with a self-aligned micro ball lens are described. The channel pitch and diameter of each photosensitive area are 250 µm and 40 µm, respectively. Measured photocurrent is 1.92 times larger than that without a lens. Alignment tolerance between the single mode fiber (SMF) optical axis and the photodiode is improved from 21.2 µm to 42.7 µm. Moreover, the separation tolerance between the fiber and the lens is 210.5 µm. These large tolerances agree with simulation results, demonstrating that the device configuration is suitable for receivers for multi-channel inter-connection. Frequency response and inter-channel cross talk are also discussed.

In the Intelligent Transportation System, millimeter waves are used and antennas are required beam scanning ability. In the millimeter wave operation, a lens antenna is one of the prominent candidates which achieves wide angle beam scanning. Wide angle scanning can be achieved by introducing Abbe sine condition to lens surface shaping. Authors designed the shaped lens antenna that could achieve beam scanning 30. The narrow beam widths were maintained on the scanning plane. However, the beam widths were broadened on the transverse plane and large gain reduction was appeared. It was clarified that the reason of this beam deterioration was due to the phase delay on the antenna aperture. In this paper, an array feed composed of a group of rectangular horns is employed to compensate the phase delay on the antenna aperture. In designing the array feed, because there were no examples of phase radiation pattern synthesis, a new radiation pattern synthesis method is studied. Ability of the weighting matrix contained in the Least Mean Square synthesis method is paid attention. Adequate weighting matrix is found out. Satisfactory phase radiation pattern that can compensate the phase delay and an adequate amplitude radiation pattern are achieved. As a result, the improvement of scanned beam widths and antenna gains through the array feed are ensured. And adequate horn arrangements of the array feed for improving scanned beam are clarified. Moreover, in order to examine the realization of an actual array feed, the exact electromagnetic simulation is conducted. The validity of the radiation pattern synthesis is clarified.

Scattering of a Gaussian beam by dielectric cylinders with arbitrary shape is analyzed by using the moment method combined with multigrid method. The effectiveness of the multigrid-moment method is firstly shown from the CPU time and residual norm viewpoints. The effect of the initial value for the multigrid cycle is also considered. After that, the scattered fields by two dielectric convex lens are calculated and the effect of the radius of curvature, width and the distance between each lens on the scattered field is examined.

A free-space method is in wide spread use for the reflectivity measurement of electromagnetic wave absorbers (EMA) in VHF and UHF range. In the free-space method, the reflection levels from EMA and from the metal plate with same size as the EMA are measured, and the reflectivity is calculated from their ratio. The incident angle such as normal or oblique must be defined, and the polarization of electromagnetic (EM) wave must be specified to be TE, TM, or circularly-polarized mode. In this paper, a parallel EM wave beam method using dielectric lenses in front of horn antennas was studied experimentally. Electromagnetic wave absorption was measured with the vertical and the oblique incidence by using this parallel EM wave beam. This measurement system has following features:• It is compact because equiphase parallel EM wave beam was obtained in a short distance from the dielectric lens.• It requires no anechoic chamber because of little multi-reflection due to high directivity of parallel EM wave beam.• It allows a large oblique incident measurement by using high directive parallel EM wave beam.

A NRD guide fed dielectric lens antenna with high gain and low sidelobe characteristics is proposed for millimeter wave applications. The measured results showed very good performance at 60 GHz. It exhibited a gain of 24.9 dBi, 27 dB sidelobe level suppression.

Researches on millimeter wave imaging in State Key Lab of Millimeter Waves are described. The researches mainly focus on the analysis and design of optical components or various lenses of imaging system. It is a base for getting good imaging quality. The field distribution in focal space of various lens including refractive lens and diffractive lens are analyzed and computed to show their imaging performance. The approaches to reduce the aberration of lens and expand the field-of-view of imaging system are studied and ameliorative results are obtained. Imaging experiment of concealed object is carried out to show the imaging ability of diffractive lens.

In order to achieve omni-directional coverages on base station antennas for fixed wireless access systems (FWA), a TM01 mode conical horn with 4.6λ aperture size was employed as a feed horn for an axisymmetrical reflector antenna. Here, a shaped dielectric lens was inserted in the conical horn so as to achieve low sidelobe radiation characteristics. However, it was pointed out that radiation pattern shaping ability was degraded in this small lens antenna. In this paper, deteriorations of aperture distributions in a shaped lens are clarified through FDTD calculations. Severe phase delays are shown in the aperture phase distributions. A novel lens shaping method of compensating the phase delays is developed. Aperture distributions and radiation patterns of the corrected lens are estimated through FDTD calculations. Satisfactory uniform phase distributions in aperture distributions and low sidelobe radiation patterns are ensured.

Recently, dielectric lens antennas are paid attentions in ITS applications. Many lens shape designing methods were already developed. And electrical performances were estimated through a ray tracing method. Here, arbitral lens shapes were expressed by a system of power series. In the case of ray tracing, time-consuming three-coordinate root-finder programs were needed to find intersection points of rays on the lens surfaces. In order to calculate complicated structures such as zoned lenses and complicated rays such as multiple reflections between lens surfaces, simple ray tracing methods are requested. In this paper, a simple ray tracing method that utilizes directly designed discrete points of lens surfaces is developed. In this method, a refracted ray is automatically determined for a given incident ray. As for an intersecting point of a lens surface for an outgoing ray, the nearest point to the refracted vector is found out by employing a simple searching procedure. This method is time-saving compared to the previous three-coordinate root-finding program. Through calculated results of focal points and radiation patterns in wide angle beam steering, effectiveness of a developed method is ensured. Application of the developed ray tracing method of complicated multiple reflections are studied. Reflecting points are found out speedily by the same searching procedure. A calculated example of doubly reflected rays is obtained. Through comparing calculated and measured results of wide angle radiation patterns, effectiveness of a developed method is ensured.

In order to achieve a transponder antenna for intersection collision avoidance systems in Intelligent Transport Systems, a lens horn antenna that generates a cosecant squared beam is developed. This paper clarifies the method for designing the antenna to achieve accurate radiation pattern synthesis. A H-plane sectral horn is selected. The ray tracing method is employed in the design of the lens shape. The aperture of the horn is determined to be seven wavelengths based on a comparison of calculated radiation patterns and the desired cosecant squared beam shape. Accurate electrical performance, such as radiation patterns and electrical fields in the horn, is calculated using Finite Difference Time Domain software. Electrical field disturbances caused by reflected waves at the lens surfaces expanded widely inside the small horn. As a result, sidelobe levels of the radiation patterns are increased. In order to eliminate these disturbances, matching layers are attached to the shaped lens surface. Then, electrical field distributions in the horn are recovered and disturbances disappear. Measured radiation patterns become almost the same as that designed using the ray tracing method. The results show that application of the ray tracing method to radiation pattern synthesis of a small lens horn antenna is effective. We clarify the electrical field disturbances caused by reflections at the lens surfaces and show that eliminating the reflection at the lens surface by attaching matching layers is very important to achieving radiation pattern synthesis.

In this paper, an optical signal processing beam forming network (BFN) for two-dimensional (2-D) beam steering is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Two lightwaves, called the signal and reference, are both Fourier transformed, combined, and then down-converted into RF signals using an optical heterodyne technique. A simple combination of orthogonal one-dimensional position scannings of the signal and reference lightwaves generates RF signals with phase distributions for 2-D beam steering. The system operation and optical losses are theoretically analyzed. Using graded index fiber (GIF) lensed single mode fibers (SMFs), total optical loss of the sampling fiber array is evaluated to be 4.5 dB from the fiber to fiber loss measurements. Using an experimental optical signal processing BFN at 25 GHz, 2-D beam steering is demonstrated at 0, 10, 20, and 30through the measured amplitudes and phases of RF signals for 16 position sets of the signal and reference fibers. The proposed method has the potential to provide ultra-fast beam scanning by utilizing optical switching technologies.

Antennas for Japanese terrestrial microwave relay links have been developed since the1950's and put into commercial use up to now in Japan. In particular, the path-length lens antennas developed in 1953 represents a monumental achievement for terrestrial microwave relay links, and the offset antenna for 256 QAM radio relay links developed in 1989 has the best electrical performance in the world. This paper reviews the antennas for Japanese terrestrial microwave relay links that have historical significance and describes the antenna design technologies developed in Japan.

In this paper, a rotman lens of multi-beam feed that can be applied to a car collision avoidance radar is designed using nonradiative dielectric (NRD) guide appropriate to the millimeter wave frequency. For the optimum condition, NRD guide at the transmission lines of input and output ports is designed to obtain low loss, small coupling between the transmission lines, and dominant mode operation. The rotman lens is also optimized so as to minimize sidelobe of array factor. To prevent beam pattern from being distorted, multiple-reflection from sidewall has been eliminated by corrugated sidewall.

We report a new type of electrooptic deflector using lens effect which is able to scan a space in two dimensions. The proposed device was developed from a quasi-velocity-matched electrooptic phase modulator with periodic domain inversion, therefore, it can operate efficiently at a microwave frequency. In the experiments, the demonstration of its operation and applications to ultrafast light control was done at 16.25 GHz.

A low-cost technique using commercial UV grade silica fibers to construct microlens array that is suitable for mass-production of long-period gratings is reported. The growth rate of gratings fabricated using these arrays is much faster than the conventional amplitude masks. Our previous work had shown that this technique was 400% more efficient than the metal mask technique. Further improvement of this grating writing technique using plano-convex microlens array is reported in this paper. Under the same writing conditions, long-period gratings with absorption peaks of 1.5 dB and 17 dB were fabricated by using a microlens array and a plano-convex microlens array, respectively.