A MIMO antenna array featuring dual wideband and high gain for 5G NR n257/n258/n260/n261 bands applications

Abstract

This article introduces the development of a Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) antenna array specifically designed for 5G millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communication systems. The suggested MIMO configuration consists of four antenna arrays, each comprising two elements arranged evenly, operating at 26 GHz and 37 GHz with a physical size of 43 mm × 32.5 mm × 0.8 mm using a Rogers RT/Duroid 5880 substrate. The proposed MIMO configuration provides dual bands, with frequency bands extending from 23.8 to 30 GHz (IBW = 6.2 GHz) and 32.5 to 41 GHz (IBW = 8.5 GHz), accompanied by high gains of around 18.5 dB for the first band and 16.4 dB for the second band. The designed antenna also shows broad circular polarization with 3 dB Axial Ratio Bandwidth (ARBW) of 4.75 GHz, ranging from 25.05 to 29.8 GHz. A physical prototype has been fabricated for the proposed 4 port MIMO antenna array and tested to verify the results acquired from simulations. The comparison between simulation and measurement results in terms impedance and radiation parameters such as S-parameters, isolation, gain, axial ratio (AR), efficiency, radiation patterns, and various necessary MIMO metrics demonstrates a strong alignment. This antenna covers various 5G New Radio (NR) application bands such as 28 GHz n257 (26.50–29.50 GHz), 26 GHz n258 (24.25–27.50 GHz), 28 GHz n260 (37–40 GHz) and 28 GHz n261 (27.50–28.35 GHz) utilized across different countries including Canada, Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, and United States of America.