Building on our previous work, with metal-pipe rectangular waveguides and free-space quasi-optical components, this paper brings the two media together at G-band (140 to 220 GHz), by demonstrating a compact multi-channel front-end subsystem. Polymer-based additive manufacturing using 3-D printing for upper-millimeter-wave (ġ00 to 300 GHz) frequency applications is now emerging.

This opens-up new opportunities for rapid prototyping of complete low-cost front-end quasi-optical upper-millimeter-wave subsystems. Our work investigates each component type at G-band and integrates them within subsystem assemblies operating at frequencies well above those normally associated with low-cost consumer-level 3-D printing technologies. Its RAM lining is designed to suppress reflections due to diffraction from components under test that may cause adverse multi-path interference.

The ultra-low cost, ‘plug and play’ housing is designed to give a fast measurement setup, while minimizing misaligning losses. Measured results generally show excellent performances, although the grid polarizer is limited by the minimum strip width, separation distance and metallization thickness. In addition, a fully 3-D printed, RAM-lined housing with central two-axis rotational platform is constructed for performing two-port measurements of a quasi-optical horn-mirror-polarizer-mirror-horn subsystem. A detailed investigation is undertaken to compare the performance of our 3-D printed antennas, mirrors and RAM with their commercial equivalents. As an alternative to conventional electroplating, gold-leaf gilding is used for the polarizer. Here, five different quasi-optical component types are investigated rectangular horn antennas, 90° off-axis parabolic mirrors, radiation absorbent material (RAM), grid polarizers and dielectric lenses. Two low-cost consumer-level 3-D printing technologies (vat polymerization and fused deposition modeling) are employed, normally associated with microwave frequencies and longer wavelength applications. This paper presents the characterization of polymer-based 3-D printed components and complete subsystems for quasi-optical applications operating at G-band (140 to 220 GHz). Few examples of individual polymer-based 3-D printed quasi-optical component types have been previously demonstrated above ca.

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