LENS ANTENNAS

Oscar Quevedo-Teruel
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Outline: Lens antennas

• Part 1: Introduction.
• Part 2: Homogeneous lenses: Spherical.
• Part 3: Homogeneous lenses: Non-spherical.
• Part 4: Limitations: Aberrations and reflections.
• Part 5: Graded index lenses.
• Part 6: New techniques: Transformation optics and metasurfaces.

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LENS ANTENNAS
PART 1 - INTRODUCTION
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Lens antennas
• A lens antenna is an antenna which makes use of lenses.
• Lens antennas are considered a particular case of aperture antennas.
• Lenses are well-known for optical applications. Examples:
• Glasses:

• Telescopes:

(Wikia.com)

(Wikipedia.com)

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Lens antennas
• Lenses have also been used on microwave applications:
• They were popular decades ago, but they became in disuse.
• Why?
• They were bulky.
• They were expensive to be manufactured:
– Specially in 3D configurations.
- They became again a research topic:
• New applications at higher frequency bands and THz:
– New generation of radio-telescopes.
– Communications systems: 5G.
– Higher resolution scanners.

A. Neto et al. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and

Propagation, July 2010.
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Application of microwave lenses Image
• Lenses are used to produce:
• Imaging systems:
• To create an image of a given object.

• Antennas:
• Reception: Focus the fields coming from a given direction into a single point (receptor).

focus
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Application of microwave lenses Image
• Lenses are used to produce:
• Imaging systems:
• To create an image of a given object.

• Antennas:
• Reception: Focus the fields coming from a given direction into a single point (receptor).
• Transmission: Radiate the energy emitted from a single point (emitter) into a given direction.

Emitter
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Lenses: Design tools
• Lenses as reflectors are large devices in terms of wavelengths.
• They are commonly designed by ray or geometric optics, at least, in the first steps of
the design.
• After that, more accurate analysis as physical optics can be applied, although at the
last step, physical theory must be used for a exact solution.

• During this lecture, we will show the performance of lenses from an antenna designer
perspective, so full EM simulations are employed to demonstrate the operation,
performance and limitations of lenses.

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Reflection and refraction theory
• Incident wave into a different propagation material:
• Reflected and transmitted wave. sin  i sin  r sin  t
 
z v1 v1 v2
sin  i v  2 2 n2
θt  1  
sin  t v2 11 n1
St
2 • When the second medium is
n2 denser that the first one (n2>n1),
n1 x there is always refraction.
1 • When the second medium is less
Si θr Sr dense, there is total reflection
θi
when:
n2
sin  i 
n1
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Reflection and refraction theory
• Incident way into a different propagation material:
• Reflected and transmitted way. sin  i sin  r sin  t
 
v1 v1 v2
sin  i v  2 2 n2
 1  
sin  t v2 11 n1
n2=√3
St • When the second medium is
2 denser that the first one (n2>n1),
1 there is always refraction.
Si Sr • When the second medium is less
dense, there is total reflection
n1=1 when:
n2
sin  i 
n1
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Fresnel Formulae
• Taking into account the amplitude of the refracted and reflected fields:

Incident Transmitted Reflected

E x( i )   A|| cos i e  iri E x( t )  T|| cos t e  irt E x( r )  || cos r e  irr
E y( i )  A e iri E y( t )  T e irt E y( r )   e irr
E z( i )  A|| sin  i e iri E z( t )  T|| sin  t e irt E z( r )  || sin  r e irr

2n1 cos i n2 cos i  n1 cos t

T||  A|| ||  A||
n2 cos i  n1 cos t n2 cos i  n1 cos t
2n1 cos i n1 cos i  n2 cos t
T  A   A
n1 cos i  n2 cos t n1 cos i  n2 cos t

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LENS ANTENNAS
PART 2 - HOMOGENEOUS LENSES
SPHERICAL LENSES
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
 Convex Concave
Homogeneous lenses
• Only one dielectric material.
• They can be convex or concave.
• The most employed lenses in antennas are: Bi-convex Bi-concave
• Elliptical (or Hyperhemispherical)
• Hyperbolic. 1 1 
 n  1    
1
f  R1 R2 
R2 Planar Planar
convex concave

R1
f
Meniscus lenses
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Bi-convex lens
• It is composed of two convex lenses:
• It has a focal point in one of the sides which
produces a plane wave in the opposite side of the
lens.

f
1 1 
 n  1    
1
f  R1 R2 

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Bi-convex lens
• It is composed of two convex lenses:
• It has a focal point in one of the sides which produces source
a plane wave in the opposite side of the lens.

source

source
f
1 1 
 n  1    
1
f  R1 R2 

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Bi-convex lens
• The lens has, in theory, the same response freq=1
when the frequency is increased.

freq=1.5

f
freq=2
1 1 
 n  1    
1
f  R1 R2 

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Planar convex lens
• This is a particular case of the bi-convex lens in which R2 is equal to ∞.

source
f
1 n 1
 Radiation
f R1
pattern

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Bi-concave lens
• Lets assume a case in which R2 is equal to R1.
• This is a diverging lens with a virtual focal point.

f
1 1 
 n  1    
1
Virtual
f  R1 R2  focal point

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Planar concave lens
• This is a particular case of the bi-concave lens in which R2 is equal to ∞.

f
1 n 1

f R1
Virtual
focal point

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Converging and diverging lenses
• Which lenses are converging or diverging?
Convex Concave
Converging lenses
Diverging lenses
Meniscus • Composed of convex and
lenses concave shapes
Bi-convex Bi-concave
Converging lenses Diverging lenses

Planar Planar
convex concave

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Combination of homogeneous spherical lenses (I)
• Two equal convex lenses: From plane wave to plane wave.

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Combination of homogeneous spherical lenses (II)
• When the size is different, we can confine or expand plane waves:

Expanding

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Combination of homogeneous spherical lenses (III)
• When the size is different, we can confine or expand plane waves:

Confining

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Combination of homogeneous spherical lenses (IV)
• Lenses can be combined to get certain performances.

fconcave

fconvex

Photo taken at the Palais de Découvert, Paris, 2015.

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LENS ANTENNAS
PART 3 - HOMOGENEOUS LENSES
NON-SPHERICAL LENSES
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Elliptical lenses
• An elliptical lens produce a coherent radiation in the 2
1 R 
opposite side of the focus. e e  1   1 
r  R2 
• The eccentricity, e, of the ellipse is related to the lens
dielectric constant: f   R2  e

R2

R1
focus
focus

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Hyper-hemispherical lens
• The hyper-hemispherical lens is a hemispherical dielectric shape which has
attached a cylindrical extension.
• Length of the extension depends on the radius of the sphere and the refractive index
employed.
• The manufacturing is easier than a elliptical lens.
Extension length
R
L
εr=10 r

Multiple reflections
inside the lens

focus

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Hyperbolic lens
• The hyperbolic lens is a particular case of
homogeneous convex lens.
• It is the optimal case to reduce the spherical
aberration.

ρ(θ)
θ n

(n  1) f
 ( ) 
f n cos  1

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Fresnel lenses
• It is a lens with no spherical aberrations.
• Employed in lighthouses.
• Advantage: It is very thin.
• Disadvantages: it is narrow band.

Photo taken at the Science Museum, London, 2013.

Photo taken at the Palais de Découvert, Paris, 2015.

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Fresnel lenses
• It is a lens with no spherical aberrations.
• Employed in lighthouses.
• Advantage: It is very thin.
• Disadvantages: it is narrow band.

Photo taken at the Science Museum, London, 2013.

Photo taken at the Museé des Art et Métiers, Paris, 2015.

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Implementation: Phase center considerations
• Your total antenna is combination of a lens and feeding.

Step 1: Estimate the phase centre of your feeding.

- This phase centre can change with the frequency.
Step 2: Estimate the phase centre of lens.
-This phase centre can change with the frequency.
antenna
Step 3: Join both in the
phase centre.
antenna

f 1 n 1

f R1
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LENS ANTENNAS
PART 4 - LIMITATIONS
ABERRATIONS AND REFLECTIONS
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Aberrations
• Our lenses can have some distortions
due to the imperfections in the design.
• Some monochromatic aberrations:
• Spherical:

• Coma:

• Astigmatism:

All these types of aberrations produce, from the antenna point of view:
• Increase of Side Lobe Levels (SLL).
• Decrease of directivity.
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Aberrations: Astigmatism (I)
• The focal point depends on the plane of incidence.

Increase
SLL

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Aberrations: Astigmatism (II)
• The focal point depends on the plane of incidence.

• Higher SLL
• Distorted
radiation pattern.

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Aberrations: Chromatic aberrations
• Our lenses can have some distortions due to the imperfections in the design.
• Chromatic aberrations:

Chromatic aberrations produce a different response depending on the frequency:

• From the antenna point of view, the response is dispersive.
• This effect must be normally avoided.

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Fresnel Formulae: Normal incidence
• When normal incidence:

2n1 cos i n2 cos i  n1 cos t

T||  A|| ||  A||
n2 cos i  n1 cos t n2 cos i  n1 cos t
2n1 cos i n1 cos i  n2 cos t
T  A   A
n1 cos i  n2 cos t n1 cos i  n2 cos t

 i   t  0º

2n1 n2  n1
T||  A|| ||  A||
n2  n1 n2  n1 •Transitions between different
2n1 n1  n2 media produce reflections!!!
T  A   A •Higher when n2 is much higher n1
n1  n2 n1  n2

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Reflections
• One of the most important limitations when using lenses is the reflections between
material transitions:
n1=1 n2=3
λ0 λ2= λ0/n2

Standing wave

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Reflections
• The reflection is higher when the difference between materials is larger:

n2  n1
n1=1 n2=3 ||  A||
n2  n1

0
n =3
2
n2 = 2
-5

n1=1 n2=2

| | (dB)
-10

-15

-20
5 10 15 20
Frequency (GHz)
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Limitations: Reflections
• Bi-convex lens:

source
• Planar convex lens:

source

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Reflections and matching layers (I)
Quarter-wave impedance transformer
• Matching layers are employed to reduce the 1 2 3
reflections in the borders of homogeneous
lenses. λ2/4
1 2 3
• The easiest way is to use a single layer of
0  22
quarter-wave. 2  3 
• Narrow band solution.
n2 1

n1=1  2  n3 n3=3
n1=1 n3=3

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Reflections and matching layers (I)
Quarter-wave impedance transformer
• Matching layers are employed to reduce the 1 2 3
reflections in the borders of homogeneous
lenses. λ2/4
1 2 3
• The easiest way is to use a single layer of
0
quarter-wave.
• Narrow band solution. -10

-20
n1=1 n3=3 No matching layers

| | (dB)
Quarter Impedance
-30

-40

-50

-60
5 10 15 20
Frequency (GHz)
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Reflections and matching layers (II)
Three matching layers
• Matching layers are employed to reduce the
1 2 3
reflections in the borders of homogeneous
lenses. LENS AIR
1  2 3
• A second option is to use a number of layers: 0
• Ultra wide band solution. No matching layers
Matching layers
-5

20GHz
n1=1 n3=3 -10

| | (dB)
-15

-20 h1=1mm εr1=6

-25
h2=1.2mm εr2=4
h3=1.2mm εr3=2
-30
10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Frequency (GHz)

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Reflections: Effects and limitations
• The mentioned techniques are only valid for normal incidence.
• The properties of the matching layers are different when the incident is not normal
to the surface.
• If we do not eliminate the reflections in our homogeneous lenses, we will
obtain negative effects: 3
2
• Increase of the levels of cross-polarization. 3 2
1 1
• Increase of the side lobe levels.
2 2
• Decrease on the maximum directivity.
3
• Decrease of the efficiency. 3

• If we do not control our reflections we can deal with a very inefficient

antenna.

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LENS ANTENNAS
PART 5 – GRADED INDEX LENSES
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Path of the light: Graded index lenses
• The Fermat’s principle says that between two points (x1 and x2), the light takes the
faster path between the two points.
x2
xA A x0-xA
• The light path is:
l12   nds
x1
yA
yA θ1
l12(min)  S ( x2 , x1 )
n1 x0
• Being the light metric: n2
x0
dl2 = n2 ds2
yB θ2
yB
• The optical path: ds  dx  dy  dz
2 2 2 2
B
xB xB-x0

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Path of the light: Graded index lenses
• The Fermat’s principle says that between two points (x1 and x2), the light takes the
faster path between the two points.
l AB   x0  x A 2  y A 2   n1   xB  x0 2  yB 2   n2 xA A x0-xA
   
yA
l AB

x0  x A  n1 
xB  x0  n2 yA θ1
x0 x0  x A 2  y A 2 xB  x0 2  yB 2
n1 x0
n2
l AB x0
 sin 1  n1  sin  2  n2 yB
x0 θ2
yB
l AB B
sin 1  n1  sin  2  n2  2l AB
0 0 xB
x0  2 x0 xB-x0

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Maxwell Fish Eye Lens D’
B’
C’
• It is a lens in which a source in any excited point of the circle
surface will converge exactly at the opposite size of the circle. A A’

• It is a rotationally symmetric lens. C D

B
• Equivalent to an homogeneous sphere.
2n0
R. C. Mitchell–Thomas, O. Quevedo-Teruel, T.M. n(  ) 

2
McManus, S.A.R. Horsley, Y. Hao, Optics Letters, 2014.
1  
a

Homogeneous Flat

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Maxwell Fish Eye Lens: Demonstration
• Lets assume three points, A, B and P which define a Maxwell, 1854.
circumference.
OY·PR=OP·PQ
P Y Graphically:
PQ = OP+OQ
P
O OY·PR=OP2+OP·OQ
A B Chord theorem:
O OP·OQ = OA·OB
Q
OY·PR=OP2+AO·OB
R P Q Y Chord theorem:
Thales’ theorem: OA·OB=a2
PQ/PR=OY/OP R
OY·PR=OP2+a2
OY·PR=OP·PQ
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Maxwell Fish Eye Lens: Demonstration
We define: 2 pa  r 2  a 2
• We know that: OY·PR=OP2+a2 PO = r
OY=p r 2  a2
PR = 2a p
Y 2a

P n (refractive index) must be inverse to the distance p:

C 2aC
n  2
A B p r  a2
O We define r1, we have n1
Q 2aC r1  a 2
2
n1  n  n1
r1  a 2
2
r 2  a2

Now, we assume n0 when r=0

r1  a 2 a2
2
R n0  n1 n  n0
a2 a2  r 2

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Half-Maxwell Fish Eye Lens
• A half Maxwell fish eye lens can be used to produce directive
radiation.
• However this technique has limitations:
• The response is not the same in all the directions.
• There will be reflections at the transitions between the lens and
free space.

Maxwell Fish Half

Eye lens MFEL

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Luneburg Lens
• It was derived by Rudolf Luneburg in 1944.
• It solves the previous problems: 
2

n(  )  n0 2 
• It has a completely rotationally symmetric response. a

• It does not have reflections at the borders.

C B
R. C. Mitchell-Thomas, O.
Quevedo-Teruel, T.M.
ρ
McManus, S.A.R. Horsley,
A 0.7
Y. Hao, Optics Letters, 2014. Flat 0.6

0.5
• There is also an equivalent surface which
0.4
mimics the lens behavior.

z/a
M. Sarbort and T. Tyc, Journal of Optics, 2012. 2
1  
0.3
z 1  1
 1
0.2  4  1  2 

0.1
Homogeneous
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
/a
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Luneburg Lens: Radiation Patterns
• When a Luneburg lens is fed by a single
radiator, we obtain a very directive beam in the f=1
opposite direction.
• The response of a Luneburg lens is UWB,
limited only by:
• Size at lower frequency. f = 1.5
• Losses at higher frequency.

n=√2
n=√2 f=2
n=1
n=1

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Luneburg Lens: Radiation Patterns
• When a Luneburg lens is fed by a single
radiator, we obtain a very directive beam in the
opposite direction.
• The response of a Luneburg lens is UWB,
30
limited only by:
25
• Size at lower frequency.
20

Directivity (dBi)
• Losses at higher frequency.
15

n=√2 10

n=√2 5

n=1
n=1 0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30
Angle (º)

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Luneburg Lens: Implementation
• Originally, it was conceived for a 3D implementation.
• It is difficult to place in some practical applications, such as vehicles.

antenna
Luneburg
lens

Photo taken at KTH (Royal Institute of

Technology) facilities, 2015.

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Luneburg Lens: Solutions O. Quevedo-Teruel, W. Tang and Y. Hao, Optics Letters, 2012.

Luneburg lens:  (r )  2 
r2
Gutman lens:  (r ) 
1 2
f 2
a  f 2  r2 
a2

Focal circle Focal circle

Feeding point Feeding point

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Gutman lens: Size reduction
• The total size of the lens can be reduced.

• The directivity is reduced.

• SLL are increased.

Part of the lens is not needed.

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Other graded index lenses:
2r 1/ M 1
Eaton lens: n( r ) 
1 r 2/ M
2
n( r )  1
r Fission lens: M  1. 2

Invisible lens Monopole lens: M  2

2
 1 
n(r )   Q  
 3  Q  90º rotating lens:
1/ 3
 1 1 1 
Q       r  n 4  2n  r  0
 r r 2 27 

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Refractive index considerations

• Some of these lenses required 15

15 15 15
infinite refractive indexes in their Eaton Monopole Invisible

origin:
10 10 10
10
• They have singularities.

n
n
• They can be solved with

n
5 5 5
transmutation or playing with the 5
geometry on a surface.
0 0 0
0 0.5 0 10.5 0 1 0.5
 /a  /a  /a
S. A. R. Horsley, I. R. Hooper, R. C. Mitchell–
Thomas and O. Quevedo-Teruel, Scientific Reports, 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
2014.  /a

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Black holes
• They are lenses which are able to attract all the fields to the center of the
lens: omnidirectional absorbers.  1 ra
 N
• The general formula for a black hole is:  r   a 
ra
 r 
N=-1 N=1
A. V. Kildishev, L. J. Prokopeva and E.
E. Narimanov, Optics Express, 2010.
No Black Hole
N<2

N=2 N=3

Black Hole
N≥2

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LENS ANTENNAS
PART 6 – NEW TECHNIQUES:
TRANSFORMATION OPTICS AND METASURFACES
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
 N. Kundtz and D.R. Smith,
Optical transformations Nature Materials, 2010.

• Transformation Optics can be used to change the shape of lenses.

• The only feasible solution is conformal mapping:
- It is an approximate solution.
x0 y0
- It will be always worse than the n'  n0
original solution. x0' y0'
• Example:
- Luneburg lens with planar feeding.

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Optical transformations Cylindrical wave
• Another possibility is to use Optical transformations to
create completely new type of lenses.
• Transformation of a cylindrical wave in four directive
beams.
Refractive index

Squared lens

R. C. Mitchell-Thomas, M. Ebrahimpouri
and O. Quevedo-Teruel, Eucap 2015.

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3D implementation: Discretization
y
• A discretization is required for a pratical implementation.
Layers
distributions O x
• And the implementation can be done:
• With dielectric materials:
O. Quevedo-Teruel, W. Tang, R. C.
Mitchell-Thomas, A. Dyke, H. Dyke, L.
Zhang, S. Haq, Y. Hao, Scientific Reports,
2013.

• With metamaterials (or truncated

periodic structures): Y.G. Ma, S. Sahebdivan, C.K.
Ong, T. Tyc, and U. Leonhardt,
New. J. Phys, 2011.

KTH School of Electrical Engineering 64

2D implementation: Metasurfaces
• Metasurfaces are thin metamaterial layers
which can be employed:
1. To produce unusual reflection/refraction
properties of incident plane waves
• Similar approach of Fresnel lenses or Feeding
transmit-arrays to produce directive point
radiation patterns from a feeding source.
2. To guide surface waves in 2D
configurations.

KTH School of Electrical Engineering 65

Types of Metasurfaces 3 GHz 4 GHz 6 GHz

• Different types of implementations:

• Metallic configurations with only. 8 GHz 10 GHz 12 GHz

• Dielectric implementations:
• Lower cost.
14 GHz 16 GHz 18 GHz
• The are not narrow band.
1.6 h= 0.5mm
h= 0.8mm
kz
neq  1.5
h= 1.5mm
k0 3 GHz 6 GHz 12 GHz 18 GHz
1.4
n

1.3

1.2
O. Quevedo-Teruel, M. Ebrahimpouri, M. Ng Mou Kehn, “Ultra Wide
Band Metasurface Lenses Based on Off-Shifted Opposite Layers”, in
1.1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 press IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2015.
Frequency (GHz)
KTH School of Electrical Engineering 66
Types of Metasurfaces
• Different types of implementations:
• Metallic configurations with only.
• Dielectric implementations:
• Lower cost.
• The are not narrow band.
1.6 h= 0.5mm
h= 0.8mm
kz
neq  1.5
h= 1.5mm
k0
1.4
n

1.3

1.2
O. Quevedo-Teruel, M. Ebrahimpouri, M. Ng Mou Kehn, “Ultra Wide
Band Metasurface Lenses Based on Off-Shifted Opposite Layers”, in
1.1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 press IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2015.
Frequency (GHz)
KTH School of Electrical Engineering 67
LENS ANTENNAS
PART 6 – NEW TECHNIQUES:
CONCLUSIONS
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Summary: Lens Antennas (I)
• Lenses can increase the total directivity of our single antennas.
• The aperture of your antenna is increased. ρ(θ)
• Lenses can be classified as: θ n
• Homogeneous lenses (high reflections).
f
• Spherical.
• Non-spherical: elliptical, hyperhemispherical, hyperbolic...
• Graded index lenses (reduced or non-reflections).
• Implementations:
• 3D complex surfaces
• 2D metasurfaces.

KTH School of Electrical Engineering 69

Summary: Lens Antennas (II)
• Limitations:
• High frequency applications only!!!
• Losses can be important, depending on the
frequency and electrical size of your lens.
• Reflections (matching layers).
• Aberrations:
• They can decrease the directivity, and increase of our side lobe levels.
• Bandwidth limited by:
• Dimensions (lower bound).
• Losses (higher bound).
• They are in general ultra wide band.
• Fresnel lenses are narrow band.
KTH School of Electrical Engineering 70
LENS ANTENNAS
Oscar Quevedo-Teruel
KTH Royal Institute of Technology