The design of layered luneberg lens with radially-drilled-hole-structure

In this paper, a novel design method for layered concentric Luneberg lens with radially drilled holes in the low loss dielectrics is presented, based on the effective medium theories (EMT's). The radially-drilled-holes structure of the effective dielectric is illustrated and the formulas for calculating the dielectric constant are also presented. Base on the design method, a 30cm two-layered luneberg lens, operating at Ku/K band, is then designed, and a hemisphere lens with reflective ground plane is also taken into account in the design to reduce the profile height and the weight of the antenna. Simulated results are then presented. The gain/efficiency of the antenna is 31.0dBi/81.6% and 34.5dBi/67.9% at 12.5G and 20.45G respectively. It is shown that the lens made from this effective material with radially-drilled-hole structure has the advantage of low loss and isotropy as compared to those made from the traditional foamed dielectric.