An application of wide-angle dielectric lens compact range in microwave anechoic chambers

To generate a compact range, a wide-angle dielectric lens is designed for RF simulation in microwave anechoic chambers. For off-axis use, the method to select a proper surface shape is studied first by a geometric optics approach. By considering the outside plane surface of the lens as the aperture of the second radiating antenna, the distribution of electromagnetic field in the quiet zone of lens compact range is analyzed by physical optics. Also the computer simulation result have demonstrated that a spherical cap dielectric lens can provide a quiet zone where the maximum phase error of E field is less than π/8 and the maximum amplitude error is ±0.5 dB.