Leaky‐wave antenna with high gain and wide beam‐scanning angle range based on novel SIW‐CRLH transmission line

A leaky‐wave antenna (LWA) with high gain and wide beam‐scanning angle is proposed in this article using a novel substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) composite left/right‐handed transmission line (CRLH TL). The novel SIW‐CRLH TL is analyzed and the equivalent circuit model is also provided. Considering the continuous phase constant of the balanced SIW‐CRLH TL from negative to positive values, the proposed LWA can obtain a continuous beam steering property from backward to broadside to forward. For verification, a periodic LWA, which is comprised of 10 unit cells of the balanced SIW‐CRLH TL, is fabricated and measured. The measured and simulated results agree well, showing that the proposed periodic LWA operates from has continuous beam‐scanning capabilities of about 90° from backward to forward (including the broadside) with gains of better than 10 dB within the operating band. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 26:36–41, 2016.