Micromachined W-band plastic slot array antenna with self-aligned and integrated flange

A W-band slot array antenna using a plastic substrate with micromachining techniques and injection molding processes has been demonstrated. A unique design feature by integrating the input flange directly with the waveguide structure using a one-shot molding process is presented which greatly improves the robustness of the fabrication process. Measurement results show that a prototype 8-slot antenna in good agreement with simulation prediction with reflection loss (s11) of -26.3 dB at 76.8 GHz, 10d B bandwidth of 9.3 GHz, gain and side lobe level (SLL) of 9.6 dB and 13.5 dB, respectively. As such, this waveguide-based plastic slot array antenna might find potential applications in low-cost mm-wave systems, including automobile radars.