A novel high-gain antipodal vivaldi antenna for 5G MM-wave applications

Abstract

This paper presents a high-gain and ultra-wideband antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) with vias-loaded linearized edges for 5G millimeter-wave applications. By replacing the traditional exponential tapered edge by linear tapered slot (LTS), the side-lobe is obviously descended. Moreover, metal vias are loaded on radiation edges, more energy in the main radiation direction is constrained and the antenna directivity and gain performance are improved. A prototype of the proposed antenna was designed, fabricated and measured. The measurements agree well with the simulations, which certify the new way for miniaturization and easier fabrication of the propose antenna. The measured results show that the antenna achieves a peak gain up to 12.1 dBi at 36 GHz and gain of 10.8 ± 1.3 dBi in the operating range from 22 to 40 GHz, where the reflection coefficient is less than −10 dB. The gain increment is up to 2 dB compared with the conventional AVA. Due to characteristics like high-gain, ultra-wideband, and compact size, it is highly well-suited for 5G millimeter-wave applications.