3D Dielectric Resonator Antennas for Wideband Array – 3DRAW

The 3DRAW project takes place in the current context of a sharp increase in the integration density of electronic systems for communication, tracking or surveillance equipment. This requires the design of antenna systems with wide spatial coverages and wide frequency bands in order to provide high performance as well as multi-functionality capabilities. The dual issues are evident. On the one hand, increasing the bandwidths of multi-function radar antennas, which exploit beamforming over a large angular sector, is a major challenge for them in order to improve their spatial resolutions and their probability of detection. On the other hand, in the civilian sector, the new cellular coverage takes advantage both of the increase in spatial diversity provided by the active electronic scanning antenna arrays but also of the extension of the bandwidths to increase the rates. The state of the art shows that it is very difficult to design a broadband antenna capable of scanning a directional beam in a large angular sector. The high operating frequency of an antenna array is naturally limited by the inter-element spacing, itself constrained by technology, while the low frequency is conventionally defined by the level of coupling accepted. For a fxied inter-element spacing, allowing for the integration of the distribution and / or digitization network, the solution to extend the minimum frequency of the network and thus obtaining a wideband network is to reduce the mutual coupling between the radiating elements. A promising solution to address this issue is the deployment of antenna array based on wideband 3D dielectric resonators with low mutual coupling as well as reduced truncation effects, thanks to the high concentration of electromagnetic fields inside the resonators. Thus the 3DRAW project aims to develop an antenna array providing a high angular coverage (up to 60 °) over a wide frequency band (40%) while preserving the efficiency of the network and the purity of polarization. More specifically, the 3DRAW project aims to demonstrate the targeted performance on an antenna arraymade up of 64 radiating elements. The breakthrough compared to the state of the art are twofold since new antenna concepts will be developed as well as new approaches of manufacturin ceramic materials. Indeed, an innovative technique of additive manufacturing of ceramics allowing the control of the porosity density will be exploited in order to offer more degrees of freedom on the shape but also on the permittivity of the antennas. Thus, multi-permittivity resonators will be considered in order to improve the performance of antenna systems. The complementary and multidisciplinary skills of the partners will be essential to overcome these many challenges