Engineering Commons^™

Theory And Application Of Dielectric Rod Antennas And Arrays, Gabriel Saffold

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dielectric rods have been used for many years as waveguides and radiators. Their low loss as a transmission line and tendency to radiate at discontinuities have proven useful in applications ranging from fiber optic cables to naval fire control radar. Although this technology is well es- tablished, advances in additive manufacturing techniques and associated materials combined with the ubiquity of wireless communications and their shift to higher frequencies have generated re- newed interest in dielectric rods. Dielectric rod antennas have moderate gain and less conductive loss at higher frequencies. Similar to other surface wave antennas, they can achieve broadband performance.This …