In this paper, we propose a 3D-printed millimeter-wave (mmW) antenna array with high performance for 5G applications. In order to enhance the gain by reducing the feed loss, high-order mode cavity backed cross-dipole antennas were deliberated. By adopting the 3D printing, a layer-driven air-filled waveguide feeder with a tailor-made hybrid coupler were designed so a high efficiency at low fabrication cost was realized. A 2 × 2 dual circularly polarized (CP) antenna subarray was firstly designed to suit for the 5G mmW new radio (NR) of 24.75 to 27.5 GHz with polarization diversity. A 4 × 4 dual CP array was finally accomplished using the subarrays as the basic building blocks. The full-corporate waveguide technology was employed to reduce the antenna weight and transmission loss but enhance the isolation for dual CP operation. Measured results validated the proposed design and showed that a wide operating bandwidth of 13% (24.4–27.8 GHz) with peak gain of 21 dBic and an isolation of better than 15 dB were achieved. Moreover, a high radiation efficiency (95%) and a medium aperture efficiency (53%) were attained by the dual CP array. The advantages of low cost, low loss, and flexible fabrication make the 3D-printed antenna array be outstanding.

在本文中，我们提出了一种针对5G应用的高性能3D打印毫米波（mmW）天线阵列。为了通过减少馈电损耗来提高增益，研究了高阶模腔背交叉偶极天线。通过采用3D打印，设计了带有量身定制的混合耦合器的层驱动充气波导馈线，从而以较低的制造成本实现了高效率。首先设计了一个2×2双圆极化（CP）天线子阵列，以适应具有极化分集的24.75至27.5 GHz的5G mmW新无线电（NR）。最终，使用子阵列作为基本构件完成了4×4双CP阵列。采用了全波导技术来减少天线重量和传输损耗，但增强了双CP操作的隔离度。测量结果验证了所提出的设计，结果表明，实现了13％（24.4–27.8 GHz）的宽工作带宽，21 dBic的峰值增益以及优于15 dB的隔离度。此外，通过双CP阵列获得了高辐射效率（95％）和中等孔径效率（53％）。低成本，低损耗和灵活制造的优势使3D打印天线阵列出类拔萃。