A Miniaturized Metamaterial-Loaded Switched-Beam Antenna Array System With Enhanced Bandwidth for 5G Applications

Abstract

I.INTRODUCTIONIn today's modern world, the ever-growing demand for reliable and high-speed wireless technology is exponentially increasing because of the huge data traffic from different channels like social media applications, cloud computing platforms, live streaming websites, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, virtual reality, and online gaming, etc [1]-[3]. Currently, ~23-billion wireless devices and sensors are linked to the internet network, and in the future, these numbers are expected to rise manifold [1]- [3]. In order to meet these demands, researchers and technology companies are putting tremendous effort into the development and deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) wireless technology [1]-[3]. These 5G wireless systems are anticipated to provide ~10GB/s data-rates, extremely low wireless signal latency, increased bandwidth for higher user capacity of up to several billion, and reduced power consumption. Another significant aspect of the 5G wireless systems is the utilization of sub-6GHz and millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) frequency bands [2]- [6].Long ago [7], when the researchers started to explore the possibilities for 5G wireless systems as a next-generation wireless standard, they predicted that antenna arrays with beam-switching capabilities would be required for the signal distribution in the upcoming wireless technology [8], [9]. For this purpose, it was envisioned that beam-forming networks (BFNs) based on switched-beam antenna array (SAA) technology could play a critical role in solving design constraints like multi-path fading and interference, which affects the overall quality of the transmitted wireless signal [10].The SAA technology mainly comprises antenna arrays and BFNs, where the predefined phases from the BFN can be utilized to steer the main beam of the antenna array in any desired direction. So, the above-mentioned problems can be solved by employing multiple antenna elements integrated with BFNs (an SAA system) at the 5G transceivers to improve the overall directionality, coverage, and resolution along the desired 5G signal path [2], [10]. It is also important to note that since the 5G wireless systems provide an enhanced bandwidth of 0.5-1GHz compared to previous wireless generations, the compact structure ABSTRACT In this research study, a metamaterial (MTM) based 1 × 4 linear antenna array is designed with an integrated butler matrix (BM) beamforming network (BFN) to execute the switched-beam antenna array (SAA) operation, which can be employed for sub-6 GHz 5G applications. The proposed SAA is designed and simulated using CST microwave studio and then fabricated using FR4 epoxy glass substrate with the thickness (h) = 1.6mm and dielectric constant (εr) = 4.3. The MTM-BM BFN has shown excellent performance in both simulated and measured results, having return-loss of below 14 dB and insertion-loss at ports 5-8 to be 7 ± 2dB between the frequency range of 3.2-3.75GHz, respectively. Moreover, the phase difference between the output ports of the BM is simulated and measured. The ...

A Miniaturized Metamaterial-Based Dual-Band 4×4 Butler Matrix With Enhanced Frequency Ratio for Sub-6 GHz 5G Applications

“…Table 6 presents a comprehensive comparative analysis, evaluating various existing structures of Butler Matrix (BM) designed for dual-band applications within sub-6GHz frequency bands. Additionally, a few recent MTM based singleband structures [36], [37] with a size reduction of 74%, and 76% are included in the assessment. The results underline the effectiveness of the proposed design, revealing significantly lower complexity compared to most existing BMs.…”