Compact Tapered Slot Antenna Array for 5G Millimeter-Wave Massive MIMO Systems

Abstract

A low-complexity metallic tapered slot antenna (TSA) array for millimeter-wave multibeam massive multiple-input multiple-output communication is proposed in this paper. Good beamforming performance can be achieved by the developed antenna array because the element spacing can easily meet the requirement of half-wavelength in the H-plane. The antenna element is fed by a substrate-integrated waveguide, which can be directly integrated with the millimeter-wave circuits. The proposed TSA is fabricated and measured. Measured results show that the reflection coefficient is lower than -15 dB Voltage Standing Wave Ratio ((VSWR) ≤ 1.45) within the frequency range from 22.5 to 32 GHz, which covers the 24.25-27.5-GHz band proposed by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the 27.5-28.35-GHz band proposed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for 5G. The gain of the antenna element varies from 8.2 to 9.6 dBi over the frequency range of 24-32 GHz. The simulated and measured results also illustrate good radiation patterns across the wide frequency band (24-32 GHz). A 1 × 4 H-plane array integrated with the multichannel millimeter-wave transceivers on one PCB is demonstrated and excellent performance is achieved.