Ball Grid Array Module With Integrated Shaped Lens for 5G Backhaul/Fronthaul Communications in F-Band

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a ball grid array (BGA) module with integrated 3D-printed plastic lens and dedicated 120 GHz OOK transceiver for 5G Backhaul/Fronthaul applications. The problem to be addressed is the following: 5G future networks will need backhaul/fronthaul 10Gbps wireless links and it's mandatory to design cost-effective and energy efficient solutions. The proposed solution is made of 3D-printed plastic lens antenna and cheap 7×7×0.362 mm 3 BGA module integrating a 2×2 array of aperture-coupled patch antennas as the source of the lens. The measurement results of the full system confirm the expected performance of the plastic lens: a-10dB matching and a 28 dBi realized gain from 114 to 140 GHz. The active measurements allows a Tx/Rx link >12Gbps data transmission with <10-6 BER at nearly 5m. This link is realized with an energy-efficiency better than 1.6 pJ/b/s which is at least 40 times better than state-ofthe-art high-speed existing TRx's. Those promising results pave the way for future cost-effective and low consumption backhaul/fronthaul systems for 5G communications. What is the novelty of your work over the existing work (100 words)? So far, several wireless links at 120 GHz have been deployed by various authors with very high Gbps speed but at the expense of high DC consumption and bulky material which is in turn correspond to weak integration of the full-system. The novelty of our work lies in the fact that every communicating block has been optimized in conjunction with all the other nearby elements, strongly taking into account cost and integration capability. Therefore a Tx/Rx link >12Gbps data transmission with <10-6 BER at nearly 5m. This link is realized with an energy-efficiency better than 1.6 pJ/b/s which is at least 40 times better than state-of-the-art high-speed existing TRx's. Provide up to three references, published or under review, (journal papers, conference papers, technical reports, etc.) done by the authors/coauthors that are closest to the present work. Upload them as supporting documents if they are under review or not available in the public domain. Enter "N.A." if it is not applicable. [1] A.

Patch Antenna and Antenna Array on Multilayer High-Frequency PCB for D-Band

“…In more recent publications, the frequencies range around 10-60 GHz [13]− [19]. For D-band frequencies (110−170 GHz), cavity-backed patch antenna arrays on PCB were presented in [7], [20], [21]. The 2×2 arrays were designed as a primary source for a lens or a transmitarray.…”

On the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Antenna and Coverage Diagnostics in Mobile Networks

“…UASAM makes use of the phaseless Sources Reconstruction Method (SRM), an iterative phase retrieval technique where an equivalent currents distribution is recovered on a surface enclosing the AUT [7]. These phase retrieval techniques have been successfully tested at frequencies as high as 140 GHz, also in the field of antenna measurement for 5G communications [15].…”

Wrist-Worn RFID Antenna Printed on Additive Manufactured Flexible Substrate

“…Antenna engineering is one of the fields where the role of AMTs is most evident. Examples include various microwave components [2], horn antennas [3], and dielectric lenses [4], among other. The applications range from space communications [5], 5G backhaul [4], to wireless body area networks [7], [8], for example.…”

“…Examples include various microwave components [2], horn antennas [3], and dielectric lenses [4], among other. The applications range from space communications [5], 5G backhaul [4], to wireless body area networks [7], [8], for example. The latter, in particular, is an active research field which aims at deploying pervasive communication networks in the vicinity of the body [9]- [14].…”