Researchers at Nantong University have proposed a broadband Substrate-Integrated Dielectric Resonator (SIDR) antenna with integrated filtering characteristics for millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications. The antenna features a dual-mode SIDR excited by a slot-coupled dual T-shaped microstrip feeding structure. The SIDR is formed by stacked substrates incorporating peripheral air vias and metallic via cavities, enabling simultaneous excitation of the TE111 and TE131 resonant modes.
To further enhance the antenna's filtering performance, a pair of microstrip transmission lines, compact patches with shorting pins, and two central air vias are introduced as auxiliary components. These structures are designed to perturb the TE131 mode, generate radiation nulls, and significantly improve out-of-band suppression.
The dual T-shaped feeding network is equipped with two pairs of open stubs of different lengths, which generate both radiation nulls and reflection zeros. This configuration optimizes the impedance matching of the slot resonator while enhancing suppression in the upper stopband.
To validate the proposed design, a 1×4 antenna array prototype was fabricated and experimentally evaluated. Operating at 24 GHz, the antenna achieves a 34% impedance bandwidth covering 19.8–27.9 GHz, a peak realized gain of 13.1 dBi, and approximately 21 dB out-of-band suppression, demonstrating excellent broadband and filtering performance for next-generation millimeter-wave communication systems.
Keywords: Dielectric Resonator Antenna (DRA), Filtering Antenna, Millimeter-Wave Antenna, Substrate-Integrated Dielectric Resonator (SIDR), Broadband Antenna, Out-of-Band Suppression, Radiation Nulls, 24 GHz Antenna.
This paper presents a broadband substrate-integrated filtering dielectric resonator antenna (SIFDRA) for millimeter-wave applications, and its performance has been experimentally validated. The proposed SIFDRA exhibits a wide impedance bandwidth featuring four reflection zeros, along with excellent filtering characteristics achieved through three radiation nulls. In addition, it provides a high level of out-of-band suppression within the stopband, significantly enhancing frequency selectivity.
To verify the proposed design, a 1×4 antenna array prototype was fabricated and measured. The experimental results show excellent agreement with the simulated performance, confirming the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed antenna design. Furthermore, the substrate-integrated architecture enables a planar array configuration, effectively reducing assembly tolerances and improving manufacturing accuracy for millimeter-wave applications.
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