Multilayer printed antennas and arrays for 5G applications

ABSTRACT

In this paper we describe a class of printed patch antennas that involve 3 metal layers completely integrated within a single dielectric, which are of very high efficiency and significant gain. The antennas presented have dual linear polarization and sufficient impedance matching bandwidth to be suited for sub-6 5G applications, producing advantageous antenna arrays monolithically integrated into a single planar PCB that are thin and lightweight. The feeding mechanism of the antennas is through an intermediate dedicated metal layer designed appropriately as a coupler, coupling the input power at the feeding ports of the structure to the antenna without a direct metal contact to the radiating patch. The multilayer design allows monolithic integration of multi-element combiners and phase shifters within the PCB of antenna arrays and results in compact monolithic scanning arrays. Theoretical full-wave simulations and measurements of fabricated prototypes are in very good agreement and validate the proposed designs.

KEYWORDS:

• Directive antennas
• phased arrays
• planar arrays
• 5G networks

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Harry F. Contopanagos

Harry F. Contopanagos received the B.Sc. (1984) degree from the University of Athens, Greece, and the M.Sc. (1989) and Ph.D. (1991) degrees from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, all in physics, all with top honors. Until 1996 he performed research in the field of Quantum Electrodynamics and Quantum Chromodynamics, as a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Institute for Theoretical Physics, State University of New York Stony Brook and then with Argonne National laboratory. During that period he developed the theory of Principal Value Resummation and its application to the Resummation of Gluon Radiative Corrections. He applied it to the theoretical prediction of the Top Quark production cross section, in excellent agreement with its subsequent discovery and measurements at Fermilab. Since 1996 his research focuses on electromagnetics and microwave engineering, artificial materials, photonic crystals and metamaterials, wireless front ends, antennas and arrays, high-frequency analog IC's and systems-on-chip. He has been a Senior Researcher with the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California (UCLA); Senior Scientist with Hughes Research Laboratories, Malibu, CA; Principal Scientist with the Advanced RF & Mixed-Signal Business Unit of Broadcom Corporation, Irvine, CA; Director of Advanced R&D with Ethertronics Corporation, San Diego, CA, a leading manufacturer of embedded multi-band antennas for wireless products. Since 2004 he has been with the Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece, where he is currently Director of Research. Recently, he had been Senior Principal Scientist with Energous Corporation, San Jose, CA, under a leave of absence from “Demokritos”, where he performed R&D and Product Development work on Antennas and Arrays in the field of wireless wireless charging. He is also currently Director of Antenna Technologies with Argo Semiconductors, Athens, Greece, a fabless semiconductor company focusing on R&D and product development of RFIC transceivers and antennas for 5G applications. Dr. Contopanagos has authored about 80 papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings and holds 26 issued U.S. and international patents with several more patents pending.