A broadband mode transition between grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) and post-wall waveguide (PWW) is proposed. The transition is composed of GCPW, microstrip line (MSL) and PWW, where the GCPW and PWW are connected via the MSL. The transition is fabricated on liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate because of its low dielectric loss and cost effectiveness based on a roll-to-roll fabrication process. Center strip of the GCPW is sandwiched by two ground pads in each of which two through-holes and a rectangular slit are structured. Broadband impedance matching is achieved by this structure thanks to an addition of lumped inductance and capacitance to the transition. A part of the MSL is tapered for the broadband operation. A 25% impedance bandwidth for |S11| less than -15dB is achieved in measurement of a fabricated transition. Loss of the GCPW ground-signal-ground (GSG) pad of 0.12dB and that of the MSL-PWW transition of 0.29dB at 60GHz are evaluated from the measurement. Fabrication error and the caused tolerance on performance are also evaluated and small variation in production is confirmed. The mode transition can be used for low loss antenna-in-package in millimeter-wave applications.

We proposed a through-hole based transformer between microstrip line and post-wall waveguide (PWW). The transformer is based on a through-hole which is electrically separated from top and bottom broad walls of a waveguide by ring-shaped spaces. The proposed transformer shows a considerable merit compared with a conventional one based on blind-via in terms of fabrication and cost because it can be realized by through-holes in general printed-circuit-board technology. We selected liquid crystal polymer (LCP) as the material of substrates because of its lower dielectric loss and easy fabrication. The transformer was fabricated and measured. The loss associated with the mode conversion is estimated to be around 0.32,dB, and the bandwidth for a reflection smaller than $-15$,dB is 8,GHz, i.e., from 59 to 67,GHz.

This paper presents the loss factors in the post-wall waveguide-fed parallel-plate slot array antenna in the millimeter-wave band. At first, transmission loss is evaluated per unit length by measuring the losses of post-wall waveguides on various substrates with different thicknesses in different bands. Measured results of the frequency dependence agree with theoretical predictions using the effective conductivity and the complex permittivity obtained by the whispering gallery mode resonator method. Then the authors evaluate the antennas with various sizes at 76.5 GHz. The antenna efficiency is evaluated by taking into account the loss factors related to: the transmission loss both in the feed and the parallel plate waveguides, the aperture efficiency and the insertion loss and the reflection of the transition. Also, the loss due to the locally-perturbed currents by the slot radiation is evaluated. The sum of the losses in the prediction quantitatively agrees with the measurement.

Post-wall waveguide with a linear array of reflection-canceling slot pairs and center-feed is designed to cancel the frequency dependent tilting of the main beam and enhance the bandwidth of the antenna boresight gain. The array is fed at the center of the waveguide from the backside; the length of the radiating waveguide is halved and the long line effect in traveling wave operation is suppressed. Authors establish the array design procedure in separate steps to reduce the computational load in the iterative optimization by using Ansoft HFSS simulator. A center-feed linear array as well as an end-feed equivalent with uniform excitation is designed for 25.6 GHz operation and measured. The measured performances confirm the design and the advantage of the centre-feed; a frequency independent boresight beam is observed and the frequency bandwidth for 3 dB gain reduction is enhanced by 1.5 times compared to the end-feed array.

A post-wall center-feed waveguide consisting of T-junctions is proposed for reducing the slot-free area of a parallel plate slot array antenna. The width of the slot-free area is reduced from 2.6 λ0 to 2.1 λ0. A sidelobe level in the E-plane is expected to be suppressed lower than that of the conventional center-feed antenna using cross-junctions. The method of moments with solid-wall replacement designs initially the T-junctions and HFSS including the post surfaces modifies only the reflection cancelling post. We have designed and fabricated a 61.25 GHz model antenna with uniform aperture illumination. The sidelobe level in the E-plane is suppressed to -9.5 dB while that of a conventional cross-junction type is -7.8 dB. Also, we suppress it to -13.8 dB by introducing a -8.3 dB amplitude tapered distribution in the array of the radiation slot pairs.

Post-wall waveguide slot arrays are potential candidates for millimeter-wave systems. The modeling of the post-walls by the equivalent solid-walls in terms of guided wavelength is indispensable for intensive optimization of slot design for reducing computational load. In the single mode waveguide slot arrays, the modeling errors of the post-wall waveguide by the solid-wall waveguide are serious especially for the transversely located slots. The S-parameter prediction errors become larger as we increase the height of the waveguide to utilize the low-loss advantage of the waveguide. The authors propose a novel post-wall waveguide structure, named as a connected post-wall (C-PW), to enhance the equivalence. The C-PW waveguide keeps enhanced equivalence to the solid-walls even for a larger substrate height. The predictions are confirmed by simulations and measurements. An 8-element linear array of reflection-cancelling slot pairs is designed by using the equivalent solid-wall model to demonstrate the feasibility of the simple design in the C-PW.

A novel analysis model for post-wall waveguide T-junctions is proposed. Equivalent solid-walls for the post-walls to have equal guided wavelength are corrected in the analysis model so that the wall thickness for the coupling windows is set to the difference in the width between the post-wall and the solid-wall waveguides. The accuracy of the proposed model is confirmed by comparing it to an HFSS analysis for the real structure of the post-wall waveguide T-junction including the post surfaces. 61.25 GHz model antennas are fabricated for experimental verification. The reflection of the antenna designed by the modified analysis model is suppressed to below -15 dB over a 5.6 GHz bandwidth, while that in the antenna designed by the conventional model is larger than -15 dB around the design frequency.

The aperture feed with an air cavity in a LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) post-wall waveguide with dielectric constant εr more than 5 is proposed for bandwidth enhancement in the millimeter wave band. A rectangular cavity is adopted because only one mask pattern of a rectangular can be used for each layer of LTCC for reducing the number of the design parameters and the cost. The fabrication limitation such as the spacing between the post edge and the aperture edge reduces the bandwidth. The feeding structures are designed at 61.25 GHz for a range of εr from 2.0 to 9.0. In the case of εr = 7.0, the bandwidth for reflection below -15 dB with the air cavity is 4.25 times that without the air cavity in simulation, and 3.10 times in measurement.

A transducer with a wide step from a post-wall waveguide to a hollow waveguide width is proposed which is tolerant against the aperture offset. The modes in the step width of about 1.50 wavelengths are stable for the aperture offset and the fields are not so perturbed while in the conventional stepped structure with step width of about 1.00 wavelength, the higher evanescent mode of TE30 is excessively enhanced by the aperture offset. The operation of the transducer with the wider step is robust for the fabrication errors in the millimeter wave band. It is also suggested that the anti-symmetrical TE20 mode which is excited only by non-zero offset or the misalignment of the aperture exists in both structures and can not be the dominant factor for the improvement. The transducers are designed and fabricated at 61.25 GHz using PTFE substrate with glass fiber of εr=2.17. The bandwidth for the reflection lower than -15 dB is almost unchanged (6.30-6.60 GHz) for the offset from -0.2 mm to 0.2 mm, while it is degraded in the conventional stepped structure, from 7.65 GHz for no offset to 3.30-5.70 GHz for the same range of the offset.

Transitions between a post-wall waveguide and a microstrip line are proposed as the key components for cost-effective millimeter-wave modules. A transition with a coaxial structure is investigated for LTCC laminated layers and 11.3% bandwidth for the reflection smaller than -15 dB is realized in 60 GHz band. The overall connector loss with 1 cm post-wall would be about 0.8 dB. The degradation due to fabrication error is also assessed. The transition in LTCC substrate fulfills electrical and manufacturing demands in millimeter-wave bands.

Interfaces between a coaxial structure and a post-wall waveguide are proposed as the essential components for cost-effective millimeter-wave modules. PTFE substrate is selected in terms of loss and manufacturability. The reflection and the transmission characteristics are investigated. The short-stepped and the short-taper-stepped feeding structures provide 14.7% and 13.2% bandwidths for the reflection smaller than -15 dB, respectively. The 4640 mm2 size antenna fed by the short-stepped structure in PTFE substrate gives 27.3 dBi with 58.2% efficiency at 60.0 GHz. Feeding structures in PTFE substrate fulfill electrical and manufacturing demands in millimeter-wave bands.

The authors realize a 50% length reduction of short-slot couplers in a post-wall dielectric substrate by two techniques. One is to introduce hollow rectangular holes near the side walls of the coupled region. The difference of phase constant between the TE10 and TE20 propagating modes increases and the required length to realize a desired dividing ratio is reduced. Another is to remove two reflection-suppressing posts in the coupled region. The length of the coupled region is determined to cancel the reflections at both ends of the coupled region. The total length of a 4-way Butler matrix can be reduced to 48% in comparison with the conventional one and the couplers still maintain good dividing characteristics; the dividing ratio of the hybrid is less than 0.1 dB and the isolations of the couplers are more than 20 dB.

A post-wall waveguide slot array with a three-way power divider on a single-layer substrate is designed to have a H-plane sectoral beam and an E-plane cosecant pattern with null-filling. Experiments in the 26 GHz band confirmed the sectoral beam with a -3 dB beam width of 117 deg and a ripple width of 2 dB in the sector.

We propose an aperture coupling E-bend with step structure as a robust post-wall waveguide interface to an external standard waveguide in which the posts are separated from the aperture. A 61.25 GHz model transformer gives 11.4% bandwidth for the reflection below -25 dB by using a 1.2 mm-height dielectric substrate. We have compared the mechanical tolerances of both the conventional straight structure and the proposed step structure. The step structure is more robust against mechanical errors than the conventional one. Another advantage is that the accuracy of the analysis model for the post-wall to metal-wall replacement is enhanced for the step structure.

This letter proposes a millimeter-wave band transformer to connect a standard waveguide to a very thin post-wall waveguide. The post-wall waveguide height is the same as a microstrip or coplanar line. A dielectric substrate with slits etched on both edges is inserted in the standard waveguide for matching. A 22 GHz transformer gives 3.6% bandwidth for a 0.5 mm-height post-wall waveguide. The effects of various mechanical misalignments upon the frequency characteristics of the reflection are also estimated by analysis and measurements.

The authors proposed a switching beam slot array antenna with a 4-way Butler matrix. All are integrated in one substrate with post-wall waveguide techniques. The planar Butler matrix is realized by using short slot directional couplers (cross coupler). Experiments in 26GHz band confirmed the key operation of this antenna; almost identical four beams are switched to cover the total of horizontal 90-degree sector with equal angular spacing.