%P 2051-2055
%N 11
%J IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters
%V 17
%L discovery10059762
%K 3D printed antenna, 28 GHz, 5G, grooves,
corrugations, compact, millimetre-wave (mm-wave)
%T Compact and Low Cost 3D-Printed Antennas Metalized using Spray-Coating Technology for 5G mm-Wave Communication Systems
%O This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
%D 2018
%A S Alkaraki
%A AS Andy
%A Y Gao
%A KF Tong
%A Z Ying
%A R Donnan
%A C Parini
%X This letter presents a design of two compact, light, rigid, and low-cost three-dimensionally (3-D) printed millimeter-wave antennas for a fifth-generation (5G) communication system. The proposed antennas consist of a radiating slot that is surrounded by a rectangular cavity and corrugations, which boost the gain performance of the antennas. Furthermore, the proposed antennas are fabricated using 3-D printing technology, and they are metalized using novel, simple, and low-cost techniques, which utilize the commercial conducive spray-coating technology. The proposed antennas operate at a 28 GHz band, where the first design is fed by a waveguide to prove the performance, whereas the second design is fed by a microstrip line to demonstrate the ability to be integrated into a compact structure. Measurement results show a wide impedance bandwidth, which enables the proposed antenna design to be a strong candidate for 5G applications.