A Via-Less EBG Horn Antenna

In this paper we present a compact horn antenna that incorporates Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) and horn antenna principles. An EBG structure is used as a medium to guide an electromagnetic wave within the substrate, instead of providing a border for the waveguide. The structure consists of a series of periodic holes drilled within the substrate that is bounded on the top and bottom by metallic layers, where no metallic via has been used. The resulting antenna is only 1.575 mm thick and achieves a 7.2 dBi peak gain. 1