3D printed flat lenses using synthetic artificial dielectrics

Flat lenses have the advantages of flat profiles, small volumes and ease of fabrication. The major challenge faced in fabricating these lenses, that are typically based on the Ray Optics (RO) design paradigm, is that the dielectric materials called for in these design are typically not available commercially. Artificial materials with the desired dielectric properties can be used to realize these flat lenses (R. K. Arya et al. APS/URSI, 2014). In this paper an alternative approach, namely the 3D printing technique is examined to fabricate dielectrics with three-dimensional control of local permittivity (J. Tribe et al. Electronics Letters, vol. 50, no. 10, 2014). Since the 3D printed dielectric materials are not only cost-efficient but are rapidly prototyped as well, they have become increasingly attractive for RF applications.