In this article, we present a simple, low-cost solution for the gain enhancement of a conventional pyramidal horn antenna using additive manufacturing. A flat, metamaterial lens consisting of three-layer metallic grid wire is implemented at the aperture of the horn. The lens is separated into two regions; namely epsilon-positive and epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) regions. The structure of the ENZ region is constructed accounting the variation of relative permittivity in the metamaterial. By the phase compensation property imparted by the metamaterial lens, more focused beams are obtained. The simulated and measured results clearly demonstrate that the metamaterial lens enhances the gain over an ultra-wide frequency band (10–18 GHz) compared to the conventional horn with the same physical size. A simple fabrication process using a 3D printer is introduced, and has been successfully applied. This result represents a remarkable achievement in this field, and may enable a comprehensive solution for satellite and radar systems as a high gain, compact, light-weighted, broadband radiator.

中文翻译：

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具有 3D 打印的 epsilon 正和 epsilon 近零超材料透镜的锥形喇叭天线的宽带增益增强

在本文中，我们提出了一种简单、低成本的解决方案，用于使用增材制造来增强传统金字塔喇叭天线的增益。由三层金属网格线组成的扁平超材料透镜安装在喇叭的孔径处。镜片分为两个区域；即ε-正和ε-近零（ENZ）区域。ENZ 区域的结构是考虑到超材料中相对介电常数的变化而构建的。通过超材料透镜赋予的相位补偿特性，可以获得更聚焦的光束。模拟和测量结果清楚地表明，与具有相同物理尺寸的传统喇叭相比，超材料透镜在超宽频带（10-18 GHz）上提高了增益。介绍了使用 3D 打印机的简单制造工艺，并已成功应用。这一结果代表了该领域的一项显着成就，并且可以为卫星和雷达系统提供全面的解决方案，作为一种高增益、紧凑、重量轻的宽带辐射器。