5G Antenna Array with Wide-Angle Beam Steering

and Dual Linear Polarizations

Kirill Klionovski, Atif Shamim Mohammad Said Sharawi

Integrated Microwave Packaging Antennas and Circuits Electrical Engineering Department
Technology Laboratory King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KFUPM)
(KAUST) Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [email protected]
[email protected], [email protected]

Abstract—In this paper, we present the design of a switched- band patch antenna, and simulated VSWR and radiation patterns
beam antenna array at millimeter-wave frequencies for future 5G for an antenna array.
applications. The proposed antenna array is based on wideband
patch antenna elements and a Butler matrix feed network. The
patch antenna has a broad radiation pattern for wide-angle beam
II. DESIGN OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE ARRAY
steering and allows the simultaneous operation with two Radiating elements for a 5G antenna array have to provide
orthogonal linear polarizations. A combination of two separated wideband and wide radiation patterns in E- and H-plane, as well
Butler matrices provides independent beam steering for both as it is required to operate with two linear polarizations. To
polarizations in the wide operating band. The antenna array has a obtain a broad radiation pattern and a wide frequency band, we
simple multilayer construction, and it is made on a low-cost Rogers use a stacked patch antenna design [6]. The patch has two
laminate. dielectric layers of the Rogers RO3003 laminate with a
permittivity of 3, a thickness of 0.5 mm and a radius of 3.8 mm
Keywords—millimeter-wave antenna array; 5G antennas; Butler for each layer. Each layer has a square metal plate with angled
matrix; wideband patch antenna; switched-beam antenna.
circular cutouts. The lengths of the bottom and the top squares
are 2.85 and 2.65 mm respectively. The radius of all cutouts is
I. INTRODUCTION 0.95 mm. The patch is excited by a 50-Ω coaxial cable, which is
New millimeter-wave and 5G wireless standards are being located 0.78 mm from the axis of the patch antenna. The central
proposed as a solution to the increasing demand for more core of the coaxial cable has electrical contact with only the
bandwidth and higher data transfer rates. These high data rate bottom plate. The design of the wideband stacked patch antenna
goals can be facilitated by wideband antenna arrays with wide- (shown in Fig. 1) has been fabricated and measured.
angle beam steering, which can operate with two orthogonal Figs. 2 and 3 show the measured and simulated radiation
linear polarizations [1]. The two polarizations can enhance the patterns at the frequency of 30 GHz and VSWR of the patch
capacity and thus can boost the spectral efficiency of 5G antenna. In Fig. 2, the angle θ is measured from the normal to
communication links. Beam steering can be achieved by two the antenna plane. Fig. 2 shows that the 3dB beam-width for the
ways, (1) by the use of phase shifters for each element of an patch antenna is 90º. Fig. 3 shows that VSWR of the patch
array, or (2) by different types of beamforming networks, such antenna is less than 2 for the frequencies 27.2-35.3 GHz. This
as Butler matrix, Blass matrix, Nolen matrix, Rotman lens, etc. design of the patch antenna can be easily realized to operate with
Phase shifters for millimeter-wave frequencies are quite two orthogonal polarizations by using an excitation of the
expensive, narrow-band, and lossy [2]. A beamforming bottom plate by two coaxial cables, which are located at the
network, on the other hand, can avoid these disadvantages. angle of 90 degrees about the axis of the patch antenna.
Butler matrix is a widely-used beamforming network, which
consists of standard elements: 3-dB directional couplers,
crossovers and delay lines. A patch antenna can be used as a
wideband element in an antenna array with broad radiation
pattern. Some designs of a single polarization, millimeter-wave
antenna arrays with Butler matrix feed network have been
described in [3-5].
In the present paper, we investigate the design of a wideband
patch antenna array with a Butler matrix feed network for the
5G frequency band. We present simulated and measured voltage
standing wave ratio (VSWR) and radiation patterns for a wide-
Fig. 1. (a) Photo of the fabricated patch antenna and (b) a view of the two
separate layers of the antenna.

978-1-5386-3284-0/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE 1469 AP-S 2017

Fig. 2. Radiation patterns of the patch antenna. Fig. 5. VSWR of the antenna array.

Fig. 6. Radiation patterns of the antenna array with different port excitation:
port 3 (a), port 1 (b), port 4 (c), port 2 (d).
Fig. 3. VSWR of the patch antenna. the array. The directions of the main beams are -42º, -13º, 13º
and 42º when port 3, 1, 4 and 2 is excited, respectively. The
III. DESIGN OF THE ANTENNA ARRAY
proposed design of the Butler matrix allows obtaining wide
The geometry of a 16-elements antenna array is shown in impedance bandwidth. However, bandwidth for stable beam
Fig. 4. The Butler matrix feed network is based on the Rogers steering needs to be further optimized.
RO3003 laminate with a thickness of 0.13 mm. The Butler
matrix includes four 3-dB quadrature directional couplers, two IV. CONCLUSIONS
crossovers, and two delay lines. Figs. 5, 6 plot the simulated A planar low-cost switched-beam antenna array for 5G
VSWR and radiation patterns at the frequency of 28.5 GHz for telecommunications is proposed. The array is based on a Butler
the antenna array. Fig. 5 shows that VSWR of the antenna is matrix feed network with wideband patch antenna elements. It
less than 2 for the frequencies 27-33.7 GHz. Isolation between operates in the frequency range of 27-33.7 GHz and provides
the feed ports is more than -15 dB. Fig. 6 shows radiation wide-angle beam steering with two orthogonal polarizations.
patterns of the array when different ports are excited. The REFERENCES
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Fig. 4. The design of the 16-elements antenna array.

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