Experimental study on a hologram-based compact antenna test range at 650 GHz

This paper studies the feasibility of a hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) for submillimeter-wave frequencies. In the CATR, a hologram is used as a collimating element to form a plane wave for antenna testing. The hologram is a computer-generated interference pattern etched on a thin metal-plated dielectric film. Two demonstration holograms of approximately 1 m in diameter were designed for 650 GHz, and they were manufactured on two different Mylar films. The holograms were illuminated with a horn, and the plane-wave field was probed at 644 GHz. The measured amplitude and phase ripples were 2 dB and 15 degrees peak-to-peak for one of the holograms. A higher quiet-zone field quality can be achieved by increasing the manufacturing accuracy by further manufacturing tests. After this, the hologram-based CATR should have a potential for high-quality antenna tests at frequencies up to 650 GHz.