Synthetic Polymer-Based Antenna Array Technology for 5G/5G+ Communications

In future mm-wave 5G and beyond-5G wireless infrastructure, active array antennas using hundreds or thousands of antenna elements are required in order to provide beamsteering of focused electromagnetic beams that compensate the high path loss at mm-wave frequencies. Each antenna element is connected to an integrated-circuit. The overall cost and power consumption is one of the main limitations with state-of-the-art technologies. Existing phased-array solutions (e.g. using planar printed microstrip antennas) provide a limited scan range, typically in the order of +/- 450. In order to coverage a complete cell, 3600 beamsteering is required in the horizontal (azimuth) plane. This means that the base-station needs to be split in 5 sectors, thus requiring to be built up from 5 antenna panels (to provide some overlap between the sectors). Therefore, there is a strong need to improve the scan range of phased-array antennas, such that the number of sectors can be reduced to 4 or even 3. Recent advances in material science and manufacturing processes make dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) technology a valid solution for the development of commercial array antennas. This technology provides three-dimensional antenna solutions based on digital printing of mixed polymer-metal structures. In this way the full three-dimensional degree of freedom can be used to optimize DRA structures to provide the required performance in an array antenna application. Therefore, in this project, we will combine the unique know-how and IP of TAC in the area of polymer-based antennas, with the theoretical and experimental know-how at TU/e on phased-array antennas.