Slot Array Antenna Research Articles

High-order-mode cavity fed 45° linear polarized antenna for 5G applications

Abstract In this paper, a high-order-mode (HOM) (TE330) cavity-fed 45° linear polarized 6×6 slot array antenna is proposed. The 45° linear polarization is achieved by introducing asymmetric cross slots on the HOM cavity, resulting in low profile and wide bandwidth. The antenna array was verified using standard printed circuit board technology. Measured results show that the impedance bandwidth ( $|S_{11}|\le$ −10 dB) is 13.9% (36.98–42.92 GHz), and the peak gain is 19.3 dBi with a 3-dB gain bandwidth of 13.6%. Attributed to its simple structure, low profile, and wide bandwidth, the presented antenna is a good candidate for 5G applications.

A hybrid solar and RF energy harvester for applications of self-Powered wireless sensor nodes

A hybrid solar and RF energy harvester is proposed for applications in self-powered wireless sensor nodes. A planar slot antenna array backed by substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity is produced for RF energy harvesting. A designed rectifier connected to the antenna array converts the received RF energy into DC energy. Solar cells are placed on the rest of the antenna array except slots, fully utilizing the array's surface. The solar cell coverage ratio reaches 87%. The measurement results indicate that under solar simulator illumination, the solar energy harvester has a short-circuit current of 15.7 A, an open-circuit voltage of 0.542 V, and a maximum output power of 5.81 W. Under the RF power density of 85.5 μW/cm2, the RF energy harvester reaches its peak power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 69%. All simulated and measured results are in good agreement, verifying the capabilities of the designed hybrid harvester.

Correction: A novel design of non-bending narrow wall slotted waveguide array antenna for X-band wireless network applications

Correction: A novel design of non-bending narrow wall slotted waveguide array antenna for X-band wireless network applications

A High Gain Circularly Polarized Slot Antenna Array for 5G Millimeter-Wave Applications

An air-filled substrate-integrated waveguide (AF-SIW) circularly polarized (CP) 1 × 8 mm wave antenna array is presented for fifth-generation (5G) applications. The presented slot antenna array consists of three layers of PCB and one layer of aluminum, which serve as the AF-SIW feeding network and the metal cavity radiation element, respectively. The CP characteristic is achieved by the use of an S-shaped aluminum radiation cavity on the top of the AF-SIW feeding network. The air-filled substrate-integrated waveguide technique is unitized to achieve high radiation efficiency. A wide input impedance bandwidth of 18.4% is obtained for the proposed antenna scheme, ranging from 34.5 GHz to 41.5 GHz, with a peak gain of 18 dBic. As for CP characteristic, the proposed antenna possesses a wide 3 dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth, which is 16.4% (36.5 GHz to 43 GHz). The antenna scheme is fabricated and measured to verify the potential application as well as the promising performance. The measured results of the 1 × 8 antenna array shows that the wide AR as well as the input impedance are simultaneously achieved, which coincide well with the simulated results. Also, the measured results indicate that the proposed antenna scheme might be a good candidate for future mobile applications.

Innovative K-band slot antenna array for radar applications

This article introduces a novel microstrip slot antenna array (SAA) configuration for radar applications. The proposed antenna is specifically designed for operation in the K-band, spanning from 23 to 24.3 GHz. The antenna structure comprises two substrates: the feed network and ground plane are on the bottom substrate, and the radiating slots are on the top layer of the first substrate. The incorporation of a unique grid feed configuration, featuring 50 Ohm center excitation for the first time, improves the feed mechanism of the microstrip SAA. This innovation contributes to achieving a compact size and high gain. To enhance the side lobe level, the design incorporates a substrate-integrated waveguide-backed cavity, which significantly reduces surface waves. The SAA consists of 25 radiating elements with a gain of 14 dBi. In the elevation and azimuth planes, the half-power beamwidths are measured at 12.1° and 69.1°, respectively. The proposed antenna array’s measured impedance bandwidth ranges from 23.15 to 24.75 GHz, guaranteeing a reflection coefficient (S11) of less than − 10 dB. The suggested antenna's applicability for automotive multi-input multi-output radar has been validated.

Co-Polarized In-Band Full-Duplex Cavity Slot Antenna Array Based on Wavefront Phase Compensation

Co-Polarized In-Band Full-Duplex Cavity Slot Antenna Array Based on Wavefront Phase Compensation

Effective bandwidth improvement of Travelling-Wave waveguide array antennas using double Parallel-Slot radiating elements

The effective bandwidth of a travelling-wave slotted waveguide array antenna is improved by using a proposed broadband single radiating element based on a pair of longitudinal slots CNC-machined in the broad wall of the waveguide. The TE10 mode excites two resonances generated by each slot, providing an effective bandwidth improvement. As a proof of concept, an array antenna formed by 16 double longitudinal parallel-slot elements is designed. A prototype has been manufactured in printed technology in order to experimentally validate the antenna performance. Measurements show high stability of efficiency, maximum gain and radiation patterns in a broadband higher than 20% in the K-band.

Spoof surface plasmons spawning pencil-beam antennas of subwavelength profile.

Slot-array antennas based on metallic waveguides have been widely used to generate pencil-beams, attracting attention due to their design simplicity and compact size. However, current slot-array antennas possess wavelength-scale profiles, which do not align optimally with the low-profile requisites of contemporary integrated communication and radar systems. Here, we propose a low-profile slot-array antenna designed specifically for the pencil-beam generation. Constructed with the two-dimensional-array (2D-array) slots situated on a sub-wavelength domino plasmon waveguide, the pencil-beam is generated with a peak gain of up to 21.6 dBi. Moreover, the generated pencil-beam allows for a wide scanning range of over 73.6° by adjusting the operating frequency from 45 to 65 GHz. Our research shows great potential for enhancing millimeter-wave radar capabilities and advancing communication systems.

A stable high-gain cavity-stacked antenna array with compact high-order mode fed for W-band applications

This paper presents a W-band stable high gain 2 × 2 cavity-backed slot antenna array fed by compact high-order mode substrate-integrated cavity (SIC) with substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) technology. The antenna element incorporates a 2 × 2 subarray of cross-shaped slots, excited by a high-order mode (TE220) SIC, ensuring uniform amplitude and balanced phase to achieve stable high-gain and high efficiency. Moreover, an additional SIW cavity is stacked above the 2 × 2 cross-shaped slots, incorporating a rectangular slot etched on the surface of the SIW cavity for radiation to further enhance the gain. This novel architecture yields a gain enhancement of 2.6 dBi compared to the traditional unstacked SIW cavity antenna. A prototype antenna array, consisting of 2 × 2 radiation elements and a low-loss 1-to-4 SIW power divider integrated with waveguide (WG) to SIW transition, is designed and fabricated in standard PCB technology. The measured results exhibit a −10 dB impedance bandwidth range from 91 to 97 GHz, a peak gain of 18.5 dBi, and a peak aperture efficiency of up to 78 %.

A Butler Matrix-Based Multibeam W-Band Slot Antenna Array Fabricated by Metal Additive Manufacturing Technology

A Butler Matrix-Based Multibeam W-Band Slot Antenna Array Fabricated by Metal Additive Manufacturing Technology

A novel design of non-bending narrow wall slotted waveguide array antenna for X-band wireless network applications

A novel design of non-bending narrow wall slotted waveguide array antenna for X-band wireless network applications

A Circularly Polarized Non-Resonant Slotted Waveguide Antenna Array for Wide-Angle Scanning.

A compact circularly polarized non-resonant slotted waveguide antenna array is proposed with the aim of achieving wide-angle scanning, circular polarization, and low side-lobe levels. The designed antenna demonstrates a scanning range of +11° to +13° in the frequency domain and a beam scanning range of -45° to +45° in the phase domain. This design exhibits significant advantages for low-cost two-dimensional electronic scanning circularly polarized arrays. It employs a compact element that reduces the aperture area by 50% compared to traditional circular polarization cavities. Additionally, the staggered array method is employed to achieve an element spacing of 0.57λ within the azimuth plane. Isolation gaps were introduced into the array to enhance the circular polarization performance of non-resonant arrays. The Taylor synthesis method was employed to reduce the side-lobe levels. A prototype was designed, fabricated, and measured. The results indicate superior radiation efficiency, favorable VSWR levels, and an axis ratio maintenance below 3 dB across the scanning range. The proposed antenna and methodology effectively broaden the beam scanning angle of circularly polarized slotted waveguide array antennas.

A design of compact wideband substrate integrated waveguide fractal koch surface slot antenna for Ka‐band applications

SummaryThis article analyses a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) fractal koch surface (FKS) slot antenna performance for Ka‐band applications. This FKS slot shape is obtained by modifying the conventional rectangular slot with the first iteration of the FKS method. The resultant FKS slot behaves as a radiator in the provided space. A single‐ and two‐element FKS slotted SIW antenna characteristics are analysed on a 20 mil thick RT/Duroid 5880 substrate and compared with the conventional rectangular slot. The proposed antenna with dimensions mm3 achieves an impedance bandwidth from 27.4 to 32.1 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 15.79% and achieves a gain of 8.3 dBi in broadside direction by improving space filling factor in SIW structure. The prototype of the SIW‐fed FKS slotted antenna array measurement results is satisfactory with the simulation results.

Enhanced smartphone connectivity: dual-band MIMO antenna with high isolation and low ECC

The research presents an eight-element dual-band modified T-shaped slot antenna array optimized for seamless integration into contemporary smartphones, addressing the burgeoning demands of 5G communication within the sub-6 GHz spectrum. Operating across two critical frequency bands spanning 3.37-3.61 GHz and 4.9-5.1 GHz, this advanced antenna system boasts impressive efficiency and performance metrics. Symmetrically arranged on the ground plane, each antenna element measures 20 × 11.8 mm2 (equivalent to 0.233 λ×0.138λ), with a notable design feature being the inclusion of section Dx, strategically positioned between the ground-mounted antennas to enhance isolation among radiating elements by effectively managing surface currents. Fabrication results showcase isolation levels surpassing -14 dB, with an Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) lower than 0.05 in the lower frequency band and 0.02 in the higher band, indicating robust performance in mitigating mutual coupling effects. The antenna array exhibits exceptional efficiency ranging from 48.5% to 63.7%, coupled with a commendable channel capacity of 38.8 bps/Hz and a gain of 3.9 dBi, highlighting its suitability for integration into smartphone devices and its potential to advance the next generation of mobile communication technologies.

Design and Experiment of a Slotted Antenna Surface Wave Plasma Flood Gun

In a modern ion implanter, plasma flood gun (PFG) is used to neutralize wafer charge during doping process, preventing the breakdown of floating wafers caused by the space charge accumulation. In order to obtain the PFG which can produce ribbon electron beams with the characteristics of high stability, high plasma density, no metal pollution and long life, studies at Peking University (PKU) are focused on surface wave plasma flood gun (SW-PFG) recently. A 2.45 GHz SW-PFG with a quartz plate and a series of metal slotted antenna arrays was designed and tested. Theoretical studies are carried out to optimize the SW-PFG structural parameters. The quartz plate thickness is determined as 15 mm. The size of the plasma chamber is 280 mm×150 mm×40 mm with a 280 mm×2 mm extraction slit. In the experiment, a relatively uniform argon plasma is obtained under the condition of gas flow rate of 2 sccm and input power of 800 W. In this case, the plasma distribution is studied by emission spectrum diagnosis and 73 mA ribbon electron beam is measured.

Isolation enhancement of a two- orthogonal printed elliptical slot MIMO antenna array with EBG structure for millimeter wave 5G applications

This work investigates a high-isolation Orthogonal Printed Elliptical Slot Antenna (OPESA) array with Multiple Inputs and Multiple Outputs (MIMO). A unique composite Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structure consisting of a vertical six rings positioned between single element antennas were devised and investigated with the aim of reducing mutual interaction between antenna components. A distinct feeble electric field that could successfully inhibit the Mutual Coupling (MC) among the antenna components is easily produced by the suggested composite EBG construction. One type of decoupling constructions throughout the antenna growth was carefully examined at together the theoretical and physical levels in order to offer a clear representation of the suggested antenna array’s design concept and decoupling technique. The antenna array design process was cleverly separated into three stages. In order to verify the suggested decoupling idea, the array Scheme was constructed, assessed, and measured. Studying the antenna gain, radiation pattern, and reflection coefficient, it was found that the simulated and measured findings were very consistent. According to the models, the array has an extreme radiation efficiency of about 91%, a minor value of Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC < 1.8 × 10−4), and a maximal gain of 11.5 dBi. The electrical size, highest isolating grade and the recommended MIMO antenna’s 90 dB isolating bandwidth (BW) were assessed. The planned antenna has several appealing features that set it apart from previous similar designs. These features include a low design complexity, a great Diversity Gain rate (DG > 9.99 dB), the BW of the proposed antenna extends from 25 GHz to more than 40 GHz, an enormously great isolation level (about 90 dB), and compressed dimensions (51 mm × 30 × 1.6 mm). For verifying the recommended antenna for MIMO. the suggested MIMO antenna design’s radiation efficiency, a thorough time-domain study is suggested.

In-band dual-polarization RCS reduction of waveguide slot array antenna integrated with AMC and PEC chessboard structure

An in-band low radar cross section (RCS) waveguide slot array antenna (WSAA) is proposed by using a chessboard structure composed of artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) and perfect electric conductor (PEC), which serves as the antenna radiator. The method for RCS reduction is the reflection energy cancellation. Standing wave array is used to achieve higher energy efficiency and more compact antenna structure. Experimental results show that the in-band monostatic RCS is sufficiently reduced with the chessboard structure application for both co- and cross-polarized incident waves, where 10-dB RCS compression is realized among the frequency range of 9.7–9.91 GHz for co-polarization and 9.5–9.85 GHz for cross-polarization with maximum RCS reductions of −13.3 dB and −11.9 dB, respectively. Meanwhile, the designed WSAA maintains the high gain characteristics of the original WSAA. The paper provides a simple, practical and effective strategy for stable RCS compression in the operation band of waveguide antenna array, which has potential applications in stealth platforms.

A compact linearly polarized RLSA antenna integrated with circular ring resonator (CRR) for 5G mm-wave applications

This article introduces a compact linearly polarized (LP) radial line slot array antenna (RSLA) that incorporates a metamaterial of circular ring resonator (CRR) reflector for improving the bandwidth. Hence, this enables the antenna to operate at n257 (26.5–29.5), n258(24.25–27.5), and n261(27.5–28.35) frequency bands which are standardized by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with a minor reduction of the directivity. Due to the short wavelength of the millimeter wave bands, the technique of the RLSA design has been advantageous for achieving high gain. The prototype of the RLSA antenna and the metamaterial CRR reflector are designed and fabricated at 28 GHz resonance frequency utilizing Rogers 5880 substrate and fed using an SSMA coaxial connector with an air gap cavity equivalent to half guide wavelength (λg/2) between substrate and ground plane. The method of integrating the CRR reflector with the LP-RLSA antenna delivered a passband transmission operating at (22–29.5) GHz. The proposed antenna has a similar agreement between simulated and measured for directivity and bandwidth. it achieved a peak directivity of 20 dB with a squinted main lobe at 12° and a fractional bandwidth of 29.13%. The fabricated RLSA antenna dimensions are 130 mm × 130 mm × 10.65 mm which is compact compared to conventional RLSA antennas.

Design of the Monopulse Feeding Network for a Slotted Waveguide Array on an Annular Disk

Design of a monopulse feeding network including a compact power distribution network and a monopulse comparator for a dual polarization slotted waveguide array fabricated on an annular disk is presented in this paper. As the slotted waveguide array is arranged on an annular disk, the feeding network is more complicated than that of a regular array such as a rectangular array. The design details of some key waveguide components, such as the compact assembly of H-plane T-junctions and E-plane elbows used to connect power distribution networks and radiation waveguides, are provided. Quasiplanar magic tees are designed and used to construct the compact sum and difference comparator. The antenna system contains two comparators, which are used to generate sum and difference beams for horizontal polarization and vertical polarization, respectively. Finally, the monopulse slotted waveguide array antenna is divided into two modules, a comparator module and an antenna module (including power distribution network), and fabricated with the layered processing and bonding process. The comparator module is measured using a network analyzer to verify its amplitude-frequency characteristics and phase-frequency characteristics. Screwing the comparator module and the antenna module together, a monopulse slotted waveguide array antenna is obtained, and the sum beam and difference beam characteristics of the antenna are measured in a microwave chamber and presented.

Simple Compact UWB Vivaldi Antenna Arrays for Breast Cancer Detection

In this study, at ultra-wideband (UWB) frequency band (3.1–10.6 GHz), we propose the use of compact 2:1 and 3:1 nonuniform transmission line Wilkinson power dividers (NTL WPDs) as feeding networks for simple 2 × 1 linear UWB Vivaldi tapered and nonuniform slot antenna (VTSA and VNSA) arrays. The 2:1 and 3:1 tapered transmission line (TTL) WPDs are designed and tested in this work as benchmarks for NTL WPDs. The VTSA array provides measured S11 &lt; −10.28 dB at 2.42–11.52 GHz, with a maximum gain of 8.61 dBi, which is 24.39% higher than the single element. Using the VNSA array, we achieve 52% compactness and 6.76% bandwidth enhancement, with good measured results of S11 &lt; −10.2 dB at 3.24–13 GHz and 15.11% improved gain (8.14 dBi) compared to the VNSA single element. The findings show that the NTL and Vivaldi nonuniform slot profile antenna (VNSPA) theories are successful at reducing the size of the UWB WPD and VTSA without sacrificing performance. They also emphasize the Vivaldi antenna’s compatibility with other circuits. These compact arrays are ideal for high-resolution medical applications like breast cancer detection (BCD) because of their high gain, wide bandwidth, directive stable radiation patterns, and low specific absorption rate (SAR). A simple BCD simulation scenario is addressed in this work. Detailed parametric studies are performed on the two arrays for impedance-matching enhancement. The computer simulation technology (CST) software is used for the simulation. Hardware measurement results prove the validity of the proposed arrays.