A graphene-loaded substrate-superstrate leaky-wave THz antenna

In this work we present a novel substrate-superstrate leaky-wave THz antenna loaded with an electrostatically biased graphene sheet within the substrate. The graphene sheet position is shown to significantly affect the dispersion and radiation properties of the fundamental leaky modes supported by the structure. An optimum position for the graphene sheet is numerically found in order to maximize the pattern directivity for broadside radiation. Furthermore, the possibility to angularly scan the beam at a fixed frequency by varying the chemical potential of graphene is investigated. Numerical results confirm the bias-scanning feature, with a quasi-constant narrow pattern beamwidth. © 2016 European Association of Antennas and Propagation.