Low-profile single-chain beam-steerable mmw lens antenna

A mobile communication device, comprising:

• a metal case having a cavity:
• a switched beam mm-wave antenna array having radiating elements;
• a low-profile mm-wave lens configured to direct radiation from the radiating elements, the radiation having a wavelength, the low-profile lens being one of:
• a metal Fresnel Zone Plate (FZP) lens having a focal length of less than about the wavelength, or
• a Saucer lens having a plurality of shells of different refractive indexes;
• and
• a radio frequency (RF) window configured to seal the cavity.

An apparatus comprising:

• a printed circuit board (PCB);
• and
• a package containing a switched beam mm-wave antenna array having radiating elements separated by less than about a half of an operational wavelength of radiation configured to be generated by the radiating elements, the switched beam mm-wave antenna array connected with a mm-wave radio head in the cavity to feed signals to the switched beam mm-wave antenna array, the switched beam mm-wave antenna array in the cavity disposed at about a focal length of a low-profile mm-wave lens configured to direct the radiation, the low-profile lens being one of:
• a metal Fresnel Zone Plate (FZP) lens having a focal length of less than about the wavelength, or
• a Saucer lens having a plurality of shells of different refractive indexes.