Experimental research of TEM-horn antenna with inhomogeneous dielectric

There proposed a technique for improving linear TEM-horn antenna directivity and matching by filling its inner space with inhomogeneous dielectric medium. The exact shape of the medium permittivity’s spatial distribution was chosen from an assumption of the whole wavefront being a result of straight-line emission from a lumped phase center. The Lichtenecker’s formula for two-phase composite material was used to approximate permittivity’s smooth transitions with a complex punched structure of a solid dielectric. This punched structure was manufactured using a 3D-printer, and its impact on antenna’s quality characteristics was experimentally measured.