A multiband millimeter-wave rectangular dielectric resonator antenna with omnidirectional radiation using a planar feed

In this study, a millimeter-wave (mmWave) dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with an omnidirectional pattern is presented for the first time. A key feature of the proposed design is the utilization of a planar feed network to achieve omnidirectional radiation from a rectangular DRA, which has not been reported previously in the open literature. In addition, the proposed antenna offers multiband operation with different types of radiation patterns. The degenerate TE121/TE211 modes were excited at 28.5 GHz with an overall internal electromagnetic field distribution that was similar to that of the HEM21δ mode of a cylindrical DRA. The achieved omnidirectional bandwidth and gain were 1.9% and 4.3 dBi, respectively. Moreover, broadside radiation was achieved by exciting the TE111 fundamental mode at 17.5 GHz together with the resonance of the feeding ringslot at 23 GHz. The triple-band operation offers a highly versatile antenna that can be utilized in on-body and off-body communications. Furthermore, the proposed design was validated through measurements, demonstrating good agreement with simulations.