A Four Element mm-Wave MIMO Antenna System with Wide-Band and High Isolation Characteristics for 5G Applications

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Antenna Theory
• Wireless Communications

Background:

• Compact 5th Generation (5G) mmWave devices require efficient, low-profile antenna systems.
• Existing solutions often face challenges with size, integration, and performance in mmWave frequencies.
• Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology is crucial for enhancing wireless communication capacity and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a lightweight, low-profile MIMO antenna system for compact 5G mmWave applications.
• To investigate the dual-band characteristics and isolation performance of the proposed antenna design.
• To evaluate key MIMO parameters like Envelope Correlation Co-efficient (ECC), Mean Effective Gain (MEG), and Diversity Gain (DG).

Main Methods:

• Design of a single-element circular ring antenna using a thin RO5880 substrate.
• Vertical and horizontal stacking of antenna elements to create a compact form factor.
• Fabrication of a four-element linear array MIMO system and comparison of simulated and measured results.

Main Results:

• The single element antenna exhibits dual-band resonance with bandwidths of 10 GHz (23-33 GHz) and 3.25 GHz (37.75-41 GHz).
• The four-element linear array achieved isolation levels greater than 20 dB at both resonance bands.
• Derived MIMO parameters (ECC, MEG, DG) were within satisfactory limits, validated by prototype testing.

Conclusions:

• The proposed lightweight, low-profile MIMO antenna system is suitable for compact 5G mmWave devices.
• The design demonstrates excellent isolation and favorable performance metrics for advanced wireless communication.
• Experimental validation confirms the simulation results, highlighting the practical applicability of the antenna system.