A Novel Approach: Achieving More Than ±90° Half-Power Beam Coverage in Millimeter-Wave Antenna Arrays

This paper introduces a novel design approach for high dielectric-constant Superstrate (HDS) - mimic metasurface, which facilitates achieving a beam scanning capability of at least ±90 degrees for existing antenna arrays. HDS, a high dielectric constant superstrate positioned above the array, effectively guides electromagnetic waves, significantly boosting the scanning gain during large-angle array scanning while maintaining the gain in the broadside direction. HDS can be effectively equivalent to HDS-mimic metasurface designed on a conventional dielectric substrate, offering cost reductions and convenient integration into device enclosures. The design guidelines and considerations for HDS-mimic are thoroughly discussed, accompanied by detailed design examples for the patch antenna configurations. The attractive features of HDS-mimic encompass its compatibility with existing antenna arrays, adjustable scanning angle enhancement, applicability to diverse antenna forms, and, above all, the simplicity in implementation.