In the millimeter-wave band, the series-fed array antenna is facing a problem of large transmission loss and narrow bandwidth by using a high-permittivity and large-loss-tangent material. In this paper, an air region is inserted in the half of the height in the LTCC waveguide of εr =6.6 and tanδ =0.013 to reduce the transmission loss. The reduction of the equivalent dielectric constant by the air insertion structure enhances both the gain and the bandwidth of the series-fed slot array. The transmission loss of the single-mode rectangular waveguide has been reduced to about 1/6 by using the partially-filled structure in the 60-GHz band. In a one-dimensional slot array, the total loss has also been reduced to about 1/7. And the 3 dB-down gain bandwidth has also been increased from 1.3 GHz to 2.3 GHz.

Crosstalk or coupling phenomenon between two parallel conductors with a ground or reference conductor is well known in electromagnetic compatibility and microwave circuit fields. In this paper we consider the characteristics of a long two-conductor line embedded in an inhomogeneous medium while taking account of the difference between two phase constants in independent propagation modes of two parallel lines. The characteristics of near-end and far-end crosstalk and of through-end transmission are discussed for frequencies up to more than the frequency where the line length is 10 times the wavelength. Interesting properties, such as very strong and null crosstalk phenomena that occur at the far end and non-transmission at the through end, appear in the envelope characteristics. The reason for these properties is clarified by making theoretical and experimental investigations.