Dense Dielectric Patch Array Antenna With Improved Radiation Characteristics Using EBG Ground Structure and Dielectric Superstrate for Future 5G Cellular Networks

Abstract

In this paper, a new dense dielectric (DD) patch array antenna prototype operating at 28 GHz for future fifth generation (5G) cellular networks is presented. This array antenna is proposed and designed with a standard printed circuit board process to be suitable for integration with radio frequency/microwave circuitry. The proposed structure employs four circular-shaped DD patch radiator antenna elements fed by a 1-to-4 Wilkinson power divider. To improve the array radiation characteristics, a ground structure based on a compact uniplanar electromagnetic bandgap unit cell has been used. The DD patch shows better radiation and total efficiencies compared with the metallic patch radiator. For further gain improvement, a dielectric layer of a superstrate is applied above the array antenna. The measured impedance bandwidth of the proposed array antenna ranges from 27 to beyond 32 GHz for a reflection coefficient (S11) of less than −10 dB. The proposed design exhibits stable radiation patterns over the whole frequency band of interest, with a total realized gain more than 16 dBi. Due to the remarkable performance of the proposed array, it can be considered as a good candidate for 5G communication applications. INDEX TERMSDense dielectric (DD) patch, superstrate, Wilkinson power divider, fifth generation (5G) wireless communications, printed circuit board (PCB), electromagnetic bandgap (EBG).

Broadband mm-Wave Microstrip Array Antenna With Improved Radiation Characteristics for Different 5G Applications

“…It's impedance bandwidth is about 2.6 GHz around 28.8 GHz. Finally, in [8], the proposed array antenna with a complex structure has a wide bandwidth of about 5 GHz around 29.5 GHz, SLL of -11.6 dB and a narrow beamwidth of 11…”

“…In [7], the authors present the motivation for new mm-Wave cellular systems, methodology, and hardware for measurements and offer a variety of measurement results showing that 28 and 38 GHz frequencies can be used when employing steerable directional antennas at base stations and mobile devices. A new dense dielectric patch array antenna using electromagnetic band gap (EBG) ground structure and dielectric superstrate was recently proposed in [8] with an improved radiation characteristic, a high gain about 16.3 dBi and bandwidth from 27 GHz to beyond 32 GHz. In [5], a 2-GHz bandwidth around 28 GHz, an 11 dBi gain and wide space coverage were achieved by using a thick multilayer coplanar waveguidebased array antenna.…”

Wideband High Gain Antenna Subarray for 5g Applications

“…While microstrip antennas have been the subject of many intensive works for decades [20][21][22][23][24], they have been considered in some research efforts reported in the past few years on antenna design aspect of the newly emerging mmW wireless communications [19,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Antennas in [19] and [25][26][27][28] are mainly designed to operate in one of the target frequency bands, as listed in Table 1.…”

“…In [30], Samsung Telecommunications proposed a 4-element beam steering capable dipole array with a bandwidth of 12 GHz, centered at 28 GHz, with a moderate maximum gain of 7 dBi. In [31], a four-element dense dielectric (DD) patch array antenna was introduced in which electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure and a dielectric superstrate were used to improve the radiation characteristics. This array provided a bandwidth of 5 GHz and a maximum gain of 16 dBi, but the element spacing is larger than one wavelength, i.e., 12 mm, at the center frequency.…”

Reconfigurable Antenna Arrays with Phase-only Control in the Presence of Near-field Nulls

“…Nowadays, antenna arrays consisting of many elements are very common structures in several applications, such as radars [1], [2], satellites [3], [4] and wireless communications [5], [6]. One of their attracting features is the reconfigurability, that is, the capability of generating different radiation patterns by suitably modifying parameters, such as for example the position and/or the excitation of the radiating elements, so that many patterns can be radiated by a single antenna.…”