An innovative antenna array with high inter element isolation for sub-6 GHz 5G MIMO communication systems

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Antenna Engineering
• Wireless Communication Systems

Background:

• Antenna arrays are crucial for modern wireless systems like 5G MIMO.
• Improving element isolation and reducing losses are key challenges in array design.
• Surface-wave propagation and substrate losses degrade antenna performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel technique for enhancing isolation between radiators in antenna arrays.
• To improve overall array performance by suppressing surface-wave propagation and substrate loss.
• To demonstrate the technique's effectiveness on a four-element array for 5G MIMO applications.

Main Methods:

• The technique involves incorporating matching stubs within resonant elements.
• Each radiating element is framed by a dot-wall structure.
• The ground plane is defected with dielectric slots beneath the dot-walls.

Main Results:

• Impedance bandwidth increased by 58.82%.
• Average isolation improved by 8 dB, 14 dB, 16 dB, and 13 dB between element pairs.
• Antenna gain improved by 4.2% and total radiation efficiency by 23.53%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed technique effectively enhances antenna array isolation and performance.
• The method is straightforward, cost-effective, and validated by excellent agreement between simulated and measured results.
• This approach offers a significant advancement for 5G MIMO antenna array design.