This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been

fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TAP.2018.2874796, IEEE
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Planar Sub-Millimeter-Wave Array Antenna

with Enhanced Gain and Reduced Sidelobes for
5G Broadcast Applications
Chun-Xu Mao, Member, IEEE, Mohsen Khalily, Senior Member, IEEE, Pei Xiao, Senior Member,
IEEE, Tim W. C. Brown, Member, IEEE, Steven Gao, Senior Member, IEEE

Abstract—In this paper, a compact, broadband, planar array

antenna with omnidirectional radiation in horizontal plane is
proposed for the 26 GHz fifth-generation (5G) broadcast
applications. The antenna element is composed of two dipoles and
a substrate integrated cavity (SIC) as the power splitter. The two

m
dipoles are placed side-by-side at both sides of the SIC and they

er as
are compensated with each other to form an omni-directional

co
pattern in horizontal plane. By properly combing the resonant

eH w
frequencies of the dipoles and the SIC, a wide impedance
bandwidth from 24 to 29.5 GHz is achieved. To realize a large

o.
array while reducing the complexity, loss and size of the feeding

rs e
network, a novel dual-port structure combined with radiation and
power splitting functions is proposed for the 1st time. The
Fig. 1. Aston soccer stadium for 5G broadcast test spot.
ou urc
amplitude and phase on each element of the array can be tuned, systems due to the limited bandwidth. To overcome the
and therefore, the grating lobes level can be significantly reduced. bandwidth limitation, the International Telecommunication
Based on the dual-port structure, an 8-element array with an Union (ITU) has licensed several millimeter-wave (mm-Wave)
enhanced gain of over 12 dBi is designed and prototyped. The
o

proposed antenna also features low profile, low weight and low
spectrums for the potential 5G and beyond applications,
including 24.25-27.5 GHz, 37-40 GHz and 66-76 GHz [1].
aC s

cost, which is desirable for 5G commercial applications. Measured

results agree well with the simulations, showing that the proposed Since then, much attention has been paid to the research of
vi y re

high-gain array antenna has a broad bandwidth, omni-directional mm-Wave antennas, in both academia and industry.
pattern in horizontal plane, and low side-lobes. To realize the gigabit data rate while overcoming the high
loss in high frequency bands, several promising techniques,
Index Terms—Antenna, Array, broadband, broadcast, including high-gain array antennas and multibeam antennas
ed d

millimeter-wave (mm-Wave), omni-directional, fifth-generation

(5G). (MBAs), are likely to be adopted in the 5G communication
ar stu

systems [2]-[4]. Recently, array antennas with broad

bandwidths and high gains were investigated based on planar
I. INTRODUCTION waveguides [5]-[6], substrate integrated waveguides (SIWs)
[7]-[8], and microstrip techniques [9]-[11]. In [12]-[14], a
T HE development of the wireless communication systems
sh is

variety of MBAs were achieved based on reflectarrays [12],

has been significantly changing our life styles in the past
transmission lenses [13], and beamforming circuits [14]. The
two decades. To support the potential wireless applications,
Th

combination of mm-Wave antennas with MIMO technology

such as multimedia devices, Internet of things (IoT), intelligent
transportation system (ITS), an advanced mobile system with a
gigabit per second data rate is highly desired, which cannot be
handled by current fourth-generation (4G) communication
Manuscript submitted on May 30, 2018; This work is supported in part by
the European Commission under the 5GPPP project 5GXcast
(H2020-ICT-2016-2 call, grant number 761498). The authors also would like to
acknowledge the support of the University of Surrey 5GIC
(www.surrey.ac.uk/5gic) members for this work.
C. Mao, M. Khalily, P. Xiao and T. W. C. Brown are with Institute for
Communication Systems, 5G Innovation Center (5GIC), University of Surrey,
Guildford GU2 7XH, U.K; C. Mao is also with the Electrical Engineering
Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
USA (email: c.mao@surrey.ac.uk, cxm2088@psu.edu).
S. Gao is with School of Electrical and Digital Arts, University of Kent, CT2
7NZ, UK.
within a compact size were also investigated for both
base-stations [15] and mobile terminals [16]. Besides, the
mm-Wave antennas with dual- or multi-band operations were
reported [17]-[18].
Although a few mm-Wave antennas have been proposed for
the 5G wireless applications, they are facing the problems such
as bulky structure, installation difficulty, high steering loss, and
high cost. In many circumstances where many potential users
are evenly distributed in a spacious area, such as auditoriums,
stadiums, shopping malls and working offices, the antenna with
omnidirectional radiation in horizontal plane but narrow beam
in vertical plane is preferred for saving radiating power.
Because conventional omni-directional antennas in horizontal
plane, such as monopole and dipole, have a low gain

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Lg

via
Wp Lc
P2 P3
Lp

Ls3

Ls4
Ls2 P1
Dis (a) (b)
Fig. 3. Configurations of the SIC-based structures: (a) two-way power
p d
splitter, (b) proposed dual-dipole antenna.
Ls1

Ws Hs the radiation and power splitting to form an initial 2-element

Port subarray.
Bottom layer Top layer
Fig. 2. Configuration of the proposed omni-directional antenna element. Lg
A. Broadband Omnidirectional Dual-Dipole Element
= 8 mm, Lc = 4 mm, Lp = 2.1 mm, Wp = 0.3 mm, Dis = 1.6 mm, p = 0.66 For a 5G antenna working at a high frequency band up to 26
mm, d = 0.3mm, Ws = 0.4 mm, Ls1 = 0.95 mm, Ls2 = 1.1 mm, Ls3 = 0.95 GHz, a broad impedance bandwidth is basically required. Fig. 2

m
mm, Ls4 = 0.4 mm.
shows the configuration of the proposed broadband antenna

er as
element, which consists of two side-by-side dipoles and a

co
(2-4 dBi), an array antenna with multiple elements along substrate integrated cavity (SIC) between them. The SIC serves

eH w
vertical orientation is required to enhance the gain in horizontal as a two-way power splitter, which splits the input power
plane. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, very few evenly between the two dipoles. The square cavity is realized

o.
mm-wave array antennas with the omni-directional radiation by connecting the top and bottom metallic layers with a circle
rs e
pattern in horizontal plane have ever been reported. In [19], a metallic via holes. A grounded coplanar waveguide (CPWG) is
ou urc
circular polarization omni-directional antenna element is used as the transformer between the microstrip line and the SIC
proposed for 5G applications. But it suffers from limited [20]. The dominant resonant frequency of the SIC can be
bandwidth (27-28.5 GHz) and complex geometry. derived by using the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW)
In this paper, a compact high-gain planar array antenna with
o

methods [21],
omni-directional radiation in horizontal plane is proposed for
aC s

the 5G broadcast applications. As a proof-of-concept, an array 2 2

 1   1 
vi y re

antenna is designed to cover the Aston Stadium in Birmingham, c

as shown in Fig. 1. The antenna can also be used in other fo =   +   (1)
scenarios. The novelty of this antenna includes: (1) a new
2 r  Leff   Weff 
method of realizing the omnidirectional radiation pattern in
ed d

horizontal plane by employing two side-by-side dipoles; (2) where Leff and Weff are the effective length and width of the
substrate integrated cavity (SIC) is adopted in the antenna cavity, 𝜀𝑟 is the relative dielectric constant of the substrate.
ar stu

design to realize the power divider and also the resonant Here, due to Leff = Weff in this design, the equation (1) can be
structure for enhancing the impedance bandwidth; (3) more simplified as,
importantly, a novel dual-port multi-functional structure which
sh is

combines the functions of power dividing and radiation is c 1

investigated for realizing a large array. Compared with other f0 = (2)
Leff 2 r
Th

reported works, the proposed antenna also features low cost,

low profile, and low side-lobe. where
This paper is organized as follow. Section II discusses the
d2
design principles, including SIC-based antenna element, Leff = Lc − (3)
dual-port radiation/transmission unit, and subarray. Section III 0.95 p
presents the proposed 8-element array antenna. Section IV
summaries the experimental and measurement results and where d is the diameter of the via-hole, p is the space between
followed by Conclusion. two via holes. Here, the resonant frequencies of the SIC and
dipoles are synchronically tuned to form the 2 nd-order resonant
circuit, which is beneficial to improving the impedance
II. ANTENNA ELEMENT AND SUBARRAY DESIGN bandwidth [22]-[23]. This will be detailed in the following
In this part, the design principles and considerations of the sections.
targeted broadband omni-directional antenna element and its B. Evolution
evolution processes are firstly illustrated. Then, a novel
The proposed horizontal plane omni-directional antenna is
dual-port module is presented, which combines the functions of

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0 Ls1=0.6 mm
0 0 Ls2=0.8 mm
0
-50 Ls1=0.7 mm Ls2=0.9 mm
-5 Ls1=0.8 mm -5 Ls2=1.0 mm
-5
-100
S-parameters (dB)

Phase (degree)
-10 -10 -10
-150

S11 (dB)

S11 (dB)
-15 -200 -15 -15
S11
-20 S21 -250 S21 -20 -20
S31 S31
-25 -300 -25 -25

-30 -350
-30 -30
-400
-35 -35 -35
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
(a) (b) (a) (b)

0 Lp=1.9 mm
Dis=1.5 mm
Lp=2.0 mm
0 S11, two-way power-divider 0 Dis=1.6 mm
-5 Lp=2.1 mm
S11, antenna element Dis=1.7 mm
-5 -5
-10
S-parameters (dB)

-10

S11 (dB)
-10
-15

S11 (dB)
-15
-15
-20
-20
-20
-25
-25
-25
-30
-30
-30

m
-35
-35 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

er as
-35 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Frequency (GHz) Frequency (GHz)
Frequency (GHz) (c) (d)

co
(c) Fig. 5. Simulated S11 with different parameters changed: (a) length of the

eH w
Fig. 4. Simulated S-parameters of the SIC-based power splitter and the grounded CPWG, Ls1; (b) length of the grounded CPWG, Ls2; (c) distance
proposed antenna element: (a) amplitudes of the power splitter, (b) phases of between the dipole and the SIC, Dis; (d) length of the dipole, Lp.

o.
the power splitter, (c) S11 comparison between the power splitter and the
antenna element in Fig. 3.

rs e identified at 25 and 27.2 GHz, as shown in Fig. 4(c). Compared

ou urc
developed from a SIC-based two-way power splitter, as the with the power splitter, the -15dB impedance bandwidth of the
configuration shown in Fig. 3(a). For comparison, the proposed antenna is improved from 6.9% to 13.5%. In addition, due to
antenna element is also shown in Fig. 3(b). The SIC-based the antenna is developed from a balanced power splitter, a
power splitter is composed of a SIC and three microstrip lines balanced radiation at the two dipoles can be achieved.
o

as the outputs. The grounded CPWG is used to transform the The impedance matching performance of the antenna is
aC s

microstrip to the SIC. Here, P1 is the input, while P2 and P3 are mainly influenced by the grounded coplanar waveguide
vi y re

the two in-phase outputs. Because the splitter is symmetrical transformers between the SIC, the microstrip line, and the
along the x-axis, the input power can be evenly split between radiating dipoles. To illustrate it, parametric studies are carried
the two outputs. The operating frequency of the cavity is out and shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5(a) and (b) show that the S11 of
determined by the dimension of the cavity, which can be the antenna is improved as the lengths of the grounded CPWG
ed d

evaluated using the equation (2). Compared with the power increase, denoted as Ls1 and Ls2 in Fig. 2. Besides, the distance
splitter, the antenna element is realized by cutting off the between the dipole and the cavity (denoted as Dis) and the
ar stu

ground of the two outputs and extending two arms from the length of the dipoles (denoted as Lp) also have an evident effect
ground plane of the cavity. The length of each arm is about a on the matching performance of the antenna, as shown in Fig.
quarter guided wavelength of the center frequency, 26 GHz. 5(c) and (d). It should be noted that the values of the Dis and Lp
Fig. 4 shows the simulated amplitude and phase properties of can directly lead to the change of the dipole’s resonant
sh is

the S-parameters of the power splitter. As can be observed from frequency. When the resonant frequencies of the SIC and
Th

Fig. 4(a), the center frequency of the power splitter is designed dipoles are matched well, very good impedance matching
at 25.8 GHz and a -15dB bandwidth from 25 to 26.8 GHz is performance can be achieved.
achieved. The curve lines of the S21 and S31 are overlapped with Fig. 6(a) shows the simulated current distribution of the
each other over the entire frequency band, indicating the input antenna element at 26 GHz. It is observed that the current is
power can be evenly split between the two outputs (two dipoles distributed evenly on the two dipoles. For each dipole, the
for the antenna). Around the center frequency, |S21| and |S31| is currents on the two arms have the same orientation, generating
about 3.2 dB, indicating a very low insertion loss of 0.2 dB, the omnidirectional radiation pattern in the yz-plane. However,
even at mm-Wave frequency band. Viewing the results in Fig. due to the obstruction of the metallic SIC, the pattern in the
4(b), we can see a similar phenomenon that the two outputs opposite direction of the dipole is suppressed. This uneven
have the same phase characteristics. radiation can be compensated by employing two side-by-side
To further enhance the impedance bandwidth, the dipoles located both sides of the cavity. In this way, the
counterpart antenna is achieved by conceiving a direct coupling influence of the feeding networks on the radiation can be
between the dipoles and the SIC. This results in the 2nd-order eliminated and a good omnidirectional radiation pattern in the
resonant characteristics at the input and therefore an improved H-plane is realized, as shown in Fig. 6(b). In the E-plane
impedance bandwidth with two reflection zeros can be (xz-plane), a dumbbell-like radiation pattern is achieved.

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P2
Radiate out

I I

I I

(a)
H-plane
90 E-plane
10 120 60 P1
0 Fig. 8. Simulated current distribution of the proposed dual-port
-10 150 30 radiation/transmission unit.
-20
Gain (dBi)

-30

m
er as
-40 180 0 0
-30

co
-20 -3

eH w
-10 210 330
0

S12 (dB)
-6

o.
10 240 300
270

rs e -9
Lt=0.3 mm
ou urc
(b) Lt=0.5 mm
-12 Lt=0.7 mm
Fig. 6. (a) Simulated current distribution on the antenna element at 26 GHz;
Lt=0.9 mm
(b) simulated E- and H-plane radiation patters of the antenna.
-15
24 25 26 27 28 29
o

Frequency (GHz)
P2
(a)
aC s
vi y re

100
Radiation Efficiency (%)

80

Lt
60
ed d

40
ar stu

Lt=0.3 mm
20 Lt=0.5 mm
Lt=0.7 mm
Lt=0.9mm
0
sh is

23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Frequency (GHz)
P1 Fig. 9. Simulated S21 and radiation power of the dual-port unit with different
Th

Fig. 7. Configuration of the proposed dual-port radiation/transmission unit. Lt: (a) S21, (b) radiation power.

C. Dual-Port Radiation/Transmission Module
To realize a large array antenna, a conventional large
multi-way power splitter is required [24]. This is usually a very
challenging task for the omni-directional antenna array
antenna, since a large feeding network will block the radiation
in some directions, especially at mm-Wave frequencies, where
the feed is electrically large. To overcome this problem, a novel
dual-port compact module, which combines the functions of
radiating and power splitting simultaneously, is proposed, as
shown in Fig. 7. This multifunctional module is developed from
the element in Fig. 2 with an additional output (P2) on the
opposite side of input. The input power from the P1 is partly
transmitted to the two dipoles for radiation, and the rest power
is transmitted through the SIC and output from P2. This
dual-port radiation/transmission module can handle the
radiation and power splitting without increasing the complexity
of the design. To illustrate it, the current distribution of the
dual-port module at 26 GHz is shown in Fig. 8. As can be seen,
a part of the input power is evenly radiated out via the two
dipoles. The rest of the power is output from the P2, which can
be served as the input of another antenna element. Also, we can
observe that the current intensity at the output is noticeably
reduced as compared with the current at the input.
Since the dual-port unit combines the functions of radiation
and transmission of the input power, it is important to

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TABLE I Co-pol
DISTRIBUTION OF THE TRANSMITION COEFFICIENT TO 90 Cross-pol
10 120 60
RADIATION EFFICIENCY DEPENDENT ON CPWG LENGTH
0
Lt Radiation Transmission Total efficiency -10 150 30
(mm) efficiency (%) coefficient (%) (%) -20

Gain (dBi)
0.1 79% 19.5% 98.5% -30
-40 180 0
0.2 74% 23.2% 97.2%
-30
0.3 70% 28.5% 98.5% -20
0.4 65% 32.6% 97.6% -10 210 330

0.5 59% 39.6% 98.6% 0

10 240 300
0.6 53% 44.3% 97.3% 270
0.7 49% 47.2% 96.2%
(a)
0.8 44% 50.1% 94.1% Co-pol
90 Cross-pol
0.9 39% 53.3% 92.3% 10 120 60
0
1 35% 56.6% 91.6%
-10 150 30
-20

Gain (dBi)
-30
-40 180 0
-30

m
-20

er as
-10 210 330

co
0
10 240 300

eH w
270

o.
(b)
Fig. 11. Simulated radiation patters of the 1 × 2 subarray at 26 GHz: (a)

rs e
Ld

Lex E-plane, and (b) H-plane.

ou urc
efficiency, which combines the radiation portion and
transmission portion, is maintained over 90% when Lt is
changed from 0.1 to 1 mm, showing that the proposed dual-port
o

module has a high efficiency.

aC s

D. Subarray
vi y re

Port Based on the studies of the antenna element and the dual-port
Fig. 10. (a) Configuration of the 1 × 2 subarray, (b) Simulated current module, a 1 × 2 subarray operating at 26 GHz is first
distribution of the subarray at 26 GHz. Ld = 8 mm, Lex = 1 mm. investigated by simply connecting them using a microstrip, as
shown in Fig. 10(a). The distance between the two elements, Ld,
ed d

understand how to control the proportion of the power for is set as 8 mm, which is around 0.7 wavelengths at 26 GHz. A
radiating out and the power for transmitting at the output. To meandered microstrip line is used to connect the output of the
ar stu

illustrate it, a parametric study has been carried out, which
shows that the length of the grounded CPWG between the
cavity and P2 has a significant influence on the power
distribution, denoted as Lt in Fig. 7. Fig. 9(a) shows the
sh is
radiation/transmission module with the input of the other
antenna element. The length of the microstrip line is used to
control the phase delay between the two elements and thus

in-phase radiation characteristics can be achieved.

simulated S21 of the dual-port module with different Lt. The Fig. 10(b) shows the simulated current distribution on the
Th

results show that the power transmitted from the P1 to the P2
increases as Lt increases from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm.
Correspondingly, the power radiating out from the dipoles is
reduced from 80% to 45%. Thus, the proportion of the radiation
power and transmission power can be easily controlled by
adjusting the length of Lt. This fact is very useful in the array
antenna design, which will be detailed in the following parts.
To support the array antenna design in the next section, the
proportion of the radiation power, transmission power and the
total efficiency of the dual-port module variation with different
Lt is extracted through the HFSS full-wave simulation and
summarized in Table-I. As Lt increases from 0.1 mm to 1 mm,
the proportion of the radiation power decreases from 79% to
35%. In contrast, the proportion of transmission between the
two ports is increased from 19.5% to 56.6%. The total
subarray at 26 GHz. It is observed that the antenna has the
in-phase current distribution on the two sets of dipoles, which
results in an enhanced directivity in the far-field. Moreover, the
strength of the current on the two elements are almost identical,
which is realized by adjusting the length of Lt, as indicated in
Table I. Since traditional two-way power splitting networks and
impedance transformers are not needed in this design, the size
and complexity of the subarray are significantly reduced.
Moreover, because the microstrip transmission line is placed
between the radiation elements, the blockage of the feeding
networks on the radiation pattern can be avoided. It should be
noted that there are some current flowing along both edges of
the copper plane outside the cavity, which is mainly induced by
the radiating dipoles on both sides.
Fig. 11 shows the simulated co- and cross-polarization
radiation patterns in E and H-plane, respectively. It is observed

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Port

Lt3
Lt2
Lt1
(a)

Port
(b)
Fig. 12. Configurations of the proposed antenna arrays: (a) 1 × 4 subarray, (b) 1 × 8 array. Lt1 = 0.9 mm, Lt2 = 0.7 mm, Lt3 = 0.5 mm.

m
er as
co
eH w
o.
Port
rs e
Fig. 13. Simulated current distribution of the proposed antenna arrays at 26 GHz.
ou urc
that the subarray exhibits a good omni-directional radiation
performance in the H-plane (yz-plane). In the E-plane IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
o

(xz-plane), the antenna exhibits a dumbbell-like radiation The proposed 1 × 8 array antenna was prototyped and shown
pattern with a gain of 7 dBi. Besides, the antenna exhibits a
aC s

in Fig. 14. To facilitate the soldering with an mm-Wave

very low cross polarization discrimination (XPD).
vi y re

connector, the antenna is slightly enlarged, and the overall size

of the prototype is 66 mm × 15 mm × 0.3mm. Simulation
results shows that this change has no evident influence on the
III. HIGH-GAIN OMNI-DIRECTIONAL ARRAY ANTENNA
antenna performance. Fig. 15 shows the simulated and
To enhance the gain, a 1 × 8 array antenna is conceived based measured S-parameters of the array antenna. Both results agree
ed d

on the elements and subarrays proposed, as shown in Fig. 12(b). reasonably well with each other, showing a broad impedance
ar stu

The 1 × 8 array is composed of two 1 × 4 subarrays, which is bandwidth from 24 to over 29 GHz. The minor discrimination
shown in Fig. 12(a). For each 1 × 4 subarray, four antenna between the simulation and measurement is caused by the
elements are connected in series without incurring bulky
fabrication tolerance and the influence of the high-frequency
feeding networks. To produce a good radiation performance
connector.
sh is

with a low sidelobe, it is crucial to control the power

Fig. 16 shows the simulated and measured antenna gains of
distribution on each element. Traditionally, a gradient power
the proposed 1 × 8 array antenna. The measured results agree
Th

distribution on the elements of an array could effectively

suppress the unwanted sidelobes. By using the HFSS full-wave
simulation, the proportion of the power on the four elements is
set as 4: 2.5: 1.5: 1. Looking up the Table-I, the lengths of the
transformers, denoted as Lt1, Lt2 and Lt3, are chosen as Lt1 = 0.9
mm, Lt2 = 0.7 mm, Lt3 = 0.5 mm, respectively.
It should be noted that the 1 × 8 array is conceived by
mirroring the 1 × 4 subarray along the symmetrical axis and
connected using an out-of-phase two-way power splitter.
Therefore, the proportions of the radiation power on the
elements (from the left to the right) are 1: 1.5: 2.5: 4: 4: 2.5: 1.5:
1. Fig. 13 shows the current distribution of the proposed 1 × 8
array at the center frequency 26 GHz. It is observed that the
current intensity is gradient from the central part to the two ends
of the array antenna.
well with the simulations over a broadband. The antenna has a
flat gain of over 10 dBi from 24.8 to 27.7 GHz. In the frequency
band of interest, the average measured gain is around 11.5 dBi,
which is about 1 dB below the simulations. This is attributed to
the insertion losses of the connectors and cables. The gain
gradually decreases beyond the band, which is mainly caused
by the deformation of the radiation pattern and impedance
mismatching. The simulated radiation efficiency is over 90% in
the band of interest. Due to the limitation of measurement, the
measured radiation efficiency is not provided.
Fig. 17 shows the simulated and measured normalized
radiation patterns of the proposed array antenna at 26 GHz. The
measured results agree well with the simulations, showing the
quasi omni-directional radiation pattern in the horizontal plane

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co,simulated
yz-plane
cross,simulated
90 co,measured
0 120 60 cross,measured
-10

Normalized Gain (dBi)

-20 150 30
-30
(a)
-40
180 0
-40
-30
-20 210 330
-10
0 240 300
270
(b)
Fig. 14. Prototype of the proposed 1 × 8 array antenna: (a) back view, (b) (a)
front view.
co,simulated
xy-plane
0 cross,simulated
S11, simulated 0 co,measured
S11, measured 0 330 30 cross,measured
-10

m
S-parameters (dB)

-10 -20 300 60

er as
Normalized Gain (dBi)
-30

co
-40
270 90

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-20 -40
-30

o.
-20 240 120

-30
rs e -10
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0 210 150
180

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 (b)
Frequency (GHz)
o

Fig. 15. Simulated and measured S-parameters of the 1 × 8 array. co,simulated

xz-plane
cross,simulated
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90 co,measured
15 1.0 0 60 cross,measured
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120
-10
10 0.9
Normalized Gain (dBi)

-20 150 30
Radiation efficiency
Antenna gain (dBi)

-30
5 0.8
-40
180 0
ed d

0.7 -40
0 gain, simulated
-30
ar stu

gain, measured 0.6 -20 210 330

-5 efficiency, simulated
-10
0.5 240 300
0
-10 270
sh is

0.4
24.5 25.0 25.5 26.0 26.5 27.0 27.5 28.0 28.5 (c)
Fig. 17. Simulated and measured normalized radiation patterns of the
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Frequency (GHz) array antenna at 26 GHz, (a) yz-plane, (b) xy-plane, and (c) xz-plane.
Fig. 16. Simulated and measured antenna gain and radiation efficiency.
power splitting network between them. Omni-directional
(yz-plane). In the E-plane (xy-plane and xz-plane), the antenna radiation in horizontal plane is achieved over a broad
exhibits the maximum radiation in the horizontal plane. The bandwidth thanks to the integrated design of dual-dipole and
measured 3-dB beam-width is 13.3o and the sidelobes are lower SIC. In addition, a novel multi-functional module which
than -15 dB. The measured XPD in main beams direction is combines the functions of radiation and transmission is put
forward and studied carefully. The methods of controlling the
over 20 dB.
proportion of radiating power and transmission power are
investigated for the 1st time. To validate the concept, an
8-element array antenna with the gain of over 11 dBi is realized
V. CONCLUSION
without resorting a large feeding network. Such a compact,
In this paper, a compact linear sub-millimeter-wave array low-profile, planar antenna could significantly reduce the
antenna with enhanced gain and omni-directional radiation is manufacturing and installation cost in the potential 5G
proposed for 5G broadcast applications. The proposed antenna applications. The antenna is prototyped and tested and
is realized by using two side-by-side dipoles and a SIC-based measured results agree well with the simulations.

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REFERENCES
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Chun-Xu Mao (M’18) was born in
Hezhou, Guangxi province, China. He
received B.S. degree in
communication engineering from the
Guilin University of Electronic and
Technology, Guilin, China in 2010,

m
the M.E. degree in RF and microwave

er as
6298-6306, Dec. 2017. engineering from South China
[8] J. W. Lian, Y. L. Ban, Q. L. Yang, B. Fu, Z. F. Yu, and L. K. Sun, “Planar University of Technology,

co
millimeter-wave 2-D beam-scanning multibeam array antenna fed by Guangzhou, China in 2013, and the

eH w
compact SIW beam-forming network,” IEEE Trans. Antennas and Ph.D. degree in electronic engineering
Propag., vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 1299-1310, Mar. 2018. from the University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K. in 2018.
C. X. Mao, S. Gao and Y. Wang, “Broadband High-Gain Beam-Scanning From 2017 to 2018, Dr. Mao was a Research Fellow with the

o.
[9]
Antenna Array for Millimeter-Wave Applications” IEEE Trans. Institute for Communication Systems (ICS), 5G Innovation

rs e
Antennas and Propag., vol. 65, no. 9, pp. 4864-4868, Sep. 2017. Center (5GIC), University of Surrey, UK. In 2018, he joined
Computational Electromagnetics and Antennas Research
ou urc
[10] Y. Gao, R. Ma, Y. Wang, Q. Zhang and C. Parini, “Stacked patch antenna Laboratory (CEARL), Pennsylvania State University, USA, as
with dual-polarization and low mutual coupling for massive MIMO,” a Research Fellow. Dr. Mao is the recipient of the Outstanding
IEEE Trans. Antennas and Propag., vol. 64, no. 10, pp. 4544-4549, Oct. Master Thesis Award of Guangdong Province, China, in 2014.
2016. His research interests include filtering antenna integration,
M. Khalily, R. Tafazolli, P. Xiao and A. Kishk, “Broadband mm-Wave
o

[11] UWB antenna, circularly-polarized antenna, satellite antenna

Microstrip Array Antenna with Improved Radiation Characteristics for array, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) antenna, millimetre-wave
aC s

Different 5G Applications,” IEEE Trans. Antennas and Propag., vol. 66, antenna, and wearable antenna.
no. 9, pp. 4641-4647, Sep. 2018.
vi y re

[12] R. R. Romanofsky, “Advances in scanning reflectarray antennas based on

ferroelectric thin-film phase shifters for deep-space communications,” Mohsen Khalily (M’13–SM’18) was
Proc. IEEE, vol. 95, no. 10, pp. 1968–1975, Oct. 2007. with the Wireless Communication Center,
[13] Y. J. Cheng et al., “Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) Rotman Lens Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, as a
and its Ka-band multibeam array antenna applications,” IEEE Trans. Senior Lecturer, where he was a
ed d

Antennas and Propag., vol. 56, no. 8, pp. 2504-2513, Aug. 2008. Post-Doctoral Research Fellow from
2012 to 2015. He has been with the 5G
ar stu

[14] P. Chen et al., “A multibeam antenna based on substrate integrated

waveguide technology for MIMO wireless communications,” IEEE Innovation Center, Institute for
Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 1813–1821, Jun. 2009. Communication Systems, University of
Surrey, Guildford, U.K., as a Research
[15] B. Yang, Z. Yu, Y. Dong, J. Zhou and W. Hong, “Compact tapered slot Fellow on antenna and propagation since
antenna array for 5G millimeter-wave massive MIMO systems,” IEEE 2015. He has authored almost 70
sh is

Trans. Antennas and Propag., vol. 65, no. 12, pp. 6721-6727, Dec. 2017. academic papers in international peer-reviewed journals and
[16] N. Ojaroudiparchin, M. Shen, S. Zhang and G. F. Pedersen, “A conference proceedings. His current research interests include
Th

switchable 3-D-coverage-phased array antenna package for 5G mobile dielectric resonator antennas, MIMO antennas, phased array
terminals,” IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 15, pp. 1747– antennas, analog beamforming network, millimeter-wave
1750, 2016. (mm-Wave) antennas for 5G, and mm-Wave propagation.
[17] W. Zhai, V. Miraftab, M. Repeta, D. Wessel, W. Tong, “Dual-band
millimeter-wave interleaved antenna array exploiting low-cost PCB
technology for high speed 5G communication,” in Proc. IEEE MTT-S
International Microwave Symposium (IMS), pp. 1-4, 2016.
Pei Xiao (SM’11) received the B.Eng.
degree from the Huazhong University of
[18] S. F. Jilani, A. Alomainy, “A multiband millimeter-wave 2-D array based Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,
on enhanced Franklin Antenna for 5G wireless systems,” IEEE Antennas the M.Sc. degree from the Tampere
Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 2983–2986, 2017. University of Technology, Tampere,
[19] W. Lin and R. Ziolkowski, “Compact, omni-directional, Finland, and the Ph.D. degree from the
circularly-polarized mm-Wave antenna for device-to-device (D2D) Chalmers University of Technology,
communications in future 5G cellular systems,” in Proc. 10th Global Gothenburg, Sweden. He was a Research
Symposium on Millimeter-Waves, pp. 115-116, 2017. Fellow with Queen’s University Belfast,
[20] X. P. Chen and K. Wu, “Low-loss ultra-wideband transition between
Belfast, U.K., and had held positions at
conductor-backed coplanar waveguide and substrate integrated
Nokia Networks, Espoo, Finland. He
waveguide,” in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., pp. 349–352, Jun.
joined the University of Surrey, Guildford, U.K., in 2011. He is
currently a Reader with the University of Surrey and the
2009. Technical Manager of the 5G Innovation Center, where he is

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 This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TAP.2018.2874796, IEEE
Transactions on Antennas and Propagation
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involved in leading and coordinating research activities in all

the work areas. His current research interests include a wide
range of areas in communications theory and signal processing
for wireless communications.

Tim W. C. Brown (S’00-M’04)

graduated from the University of Surrey,
UK, in 1999 with a BEng in Electronic
Engineering and since graduated with a
PhD in antenna diversity for mobile
terminals in the Centre for
Communication Systems Research
(CCSR) [Now named the Institute for
Communications Systems] in 2004. Since completing his
doctoral research, he has continued his research interests in Steven (Shichang) Gao (M’01-SM’16) received the PhD
antennas, propagation and radio frequency (RF) engineering. degree from Shanghai University,
This has included postdoctoral research from 2004-2006 at China. He is a Professor and Chair of RF
Aalborg University, Denmark and his present post as an and Microwave Engineering, and the
Director of Postgraduate Research at

m
associate professor in RF, Antennas and Propagation at the

er as
University of Surrey. His research interests include intelligent School of Engineering and Digital Arts,
antennas for mobile and satellite communications, propagation University of Kent, UK. His research

co
interests include smart antenna, phased

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modelling from a few MHz to tens of GHz, multiple input
multiple output (MIMO), ultra-wideband (UWB), smart radio array, small antennas, MIMO,
broadband and multi-band antennas, RF

o.
frequency identification (RFID).
front ends, FSS, and their applications
rs e into 5G mobile communications, satellite communication,
ou urc
small satellites and radars. He co-edited/co-authored 3 books
including “Space Antenna Handbook” (Wiley, 2012),
“Circularly Polarized Antennas”
(Wiley-IEEE, 2014), “Low-Cost Smart Antennas” (Wiley,
o

2018), over 300 papers and 4 patents. He received the 2017

aC s

CST University Publication Award for a paper in IEEE

vi y re

Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, and the 2016 IET

Premium Award for the Best Paper in IET Microwave,
Antennas and Propagation, etc. He is an Associate Editor of
IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, and Radio
Science, and was a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Antennas
ed d

and Propagation Society (2014-2016).

ar stu
sh is
Th

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