Towards a full design of a super-wide band slotted antenna array using graphene material for future 6G applications

Abstract

Sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication systems have been developed in response to the growing demand for higher data rates and ultra-high-speed communication. It is expected to emerge around the year 2030. In order to fulfill this need, the 6G wireless communication system will exploit the terahertz (THz) frequency spectrum (0.1–10 THz). In the same framework, the current study seeks to design and analyze various antenna and antenna array configurations across the whole THz range. Initially, by integrating graphene material into various patch and feedline combinations for a single antenna. The return loss, VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio), gain, and directivity of the antenna were the four key features that were analyzed. Furthermore, a parametric investigation of substrate thicknesses was carried out for three distinct materials: Rogers RT5880, silicon, and polymide. In order to increase the directivity and gain of the optimized graphene antenna, we used five different antenna array architectures (1*2, 1*4, 2*2, 2*4, and 4*2) in both serial and parallel configurations. Finally, a further enhancement of the structure—a sixteen-antenna array (2*8 array)—was implemented by doubling the arrays' structural dimensions to meet the requirements of the sixth generation of telecommunication systems in terms of gain and directivity.