Building 5G millimeter-wave wireless infrastructure: wide-scan focal plane arrays with broadband optical beamforming

Adrianus Smolders (Corresponding author), Aleksei Dubok (Corresponding author), Netsanet M. Tessema (Corresponding author), Zhe Chen (Corresponding author), Ali Al-Rawi (Corresponding author), Ulf Johannsen (Corresponding author), Thomas Bressner (Corresponding author), Dusan Milosevic (Corresponding author), Hao Gao (Corresponding author), Eduward Tangdiongga (Corresponding author), Giampiero Gerini (Corresponding author), Peter G.M. Baltus (Corresponding author), Marcel Geurts (Corresponding author), A.M.J. Ton Koonen (Corresponding author)

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Abstract

A wide-scan and broadband focal-plane array (FPA) concept is introduced in this article, which provides high antenna gain and effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) with electronic beamsteering within a relatively large field of view (FoV), up to +/-20°. The antenna uses a bifocal double-reflector concept that optimizes the illumination of the focal-plane region. In this way, we have reduced the required size of the feed array and have maximized the number of simultaneously active array elements. By using a photonics beamformer, a broadband system for the 20-40-GHz band can be created with a fiber-based interface to a central processing unit. This hybrid antenna system is a very interesting concept for future 5G and beyond [5G millimeter-wave (mm-wave) base stations, two-way satellite communication systems, and point-to-point wireless backhaul systems]. A silicon BiCMOS low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) for the optical beamformer have been developed and integrated into the overall system. A system-level demonstrator was developed and experimentally validated in receive mode. Our concept provides an antenna gain of more than 40 dBi over an FoV of +/-15° at 28.5 GHz.
Original languageEnglish
Article number8651278
Pages (from-to)53-62
Number of pages10
JournalIEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine
Volume61
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2019

Keywords

  • Antennas
  • Optical beams
  • Optical fibers
  • Optical reflection
  • Optical refraction
  • Optical variables control

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