3-D Printed Parts for a Multilayer Phased Array Antenna System

Abstract

In this work, a three-dimensional printable multilayer phased array system was designed to demonstrate the applicability of additive manufacturing for radio frequency (RF) systems. A hybrid process incorporating a thermal wire-mesh embedding method for conductors and thermoplastic material extrusion for dielectrics is employed. The designed phased array, operating at 3.5 GHz, consists of three functional layers: a 1-to-4 Wilkinson divider at the bottom, embedded voltage-controlled phase shifters at the center, and patch antennas on the top. Standalone parts of the proposed multilayer phased array were printed to verify the integrated dielectric-conductor printing process as well as the incorporation of active semiconductor devices at room temperature.