MILLIMETER WAVE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
AND ITS2 APPLICATIONS
1 3 4
T.Gophika , J.Sri Arunaa , Rudrashish Roy , Y. Karthikeyan
Assistant Professor, PG Scholar2,3,4
Easwari Engineering College, Ramapuram, Chennai
ABSTRACT: The demand for higher bandwidth
and data rate increases day by day which tends
towards the emerging of new technologies in the
field of wireless communication. One such
technology which leads to the development of
5G is millimeter wave communication.
Extremely High Frequency (EHF) or Very High
Frequency (VHF) in the range of (30-300) GHz
is preferred for Line of Sight (LOS) Millimeter
wave communication. Using this technology
more number of users can be accommodated
within a stipulated bandwidth. This paper is
aimed to provide a general survey on evolution
and applications of existing millimeter wave
technology.
Key words: 5G-5th Generation, EHF- Extremely
High Frequency, VHF-Very High Frequency,
LOS-Line of Sight, GHz-Giga Hertz.
I. INTRODUCTION
Millimeter wave is an undeveloped band of
spectrum which can also be called as extremely
High Frequency (EHF) in the range of 30 to 300
GHz or Very High Frequency (VHF) in the
range of 3 to 30MHz by the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU). The
wavelength of Millimeter wave ranges from 10
millimeters to 1 millimeter and its frequency
ranges from 30 GHz-300 GHz. High speed point
to point wireless communication can be
established using this millimeter wave
communication. Rain, humidity, gases in the
atmosphere attenuate these waves and reduces
the signal strength. Due to its short range of
about a kilometer, millimeter wave travels by
means of Line of Sight (LOS), so its high-
frequency wavelengths can be blocked by
means of physical objects like buildings and
trees.
II. EVOLUTION OF MILLIMETER
WAVE
The techniques of that of the millimeter and sub
millimeter waves have been overlapped in the
recent years, having originated from different
ends of the spectrum. Millimeter-wave advances
have mainly grown from extensions of centimeter-
wave technology, largely based on the availability
of coherent oscillators, whereas sub millimeter-
wave developments were initially derived by
extensions of optical and infrared techniques. The
later were originally based on the use of the non
coherent sources and after that on the use of
harmonics of microwave- or millimeter-wave
coherent sources. But often in both cases there
employing the optical techniques. More recently
the gas laser has been extended from the infrared
all the way to the 2-mm wavelength (150 GHz)
region, providing an optical coherent source. The
first millimeter- and the sub millimeter-wave
activity occurred in that of 1890's. By that time
Hertz had performed experiments confirming
Maxwell's theory predicting the possibility of the
radio waves. Hertz produced the radiation with
the help of a spark-gap generator, and his first
recorded wavelengths were in the centimeter
range. In 1895 Lebedew, using
methods similar to Hertz's, that generated and
detected the wavelengths which he has
estimated to be as short as 6 mm. Similar
detection of wavelengths of 4 mm was reported
by Lampa in 1896, but it was more than two
decades later. Additional fundamental research
was carried out in the 1890's by J. C. Bose of
(Presidency College, Calcutta, India), who is
said to have made the first quantitative
measurements at millimeter waves (down to 5
mm). As a source he had used a spark-gap
having platinum electrodes specially shaped to
emphasize the radiation at millimeter waves. He
had developed various components of sulfur or
glass and investigated many natural crystals to
obtain their bi-refringent properties and it
continued till the post war period 1947-1965.
III. SIR J.C.BOSE WORK
The first millimeter wave system was built by
professor J C Bose at Kolkata in West Bengal.
In 1895 he demonstrated a millimeter wave
system and it is typically working at the
frequency band of 60 gigahertz and he
communicated over a distance of 23 meters. He
has shown that millimeter wave is nothing but
another form of the electromagnetic wave which
follows more or less optical properties. In his
experiment typical wave length he has used is
starting from 2.5 centimeter to 5 millimeter so
roughly it corresponds to 12 gigahertz to as high
as 60 gigahertz.
III.A. WORK SETUP
The experimental setup of J.C. Bose consists of
a box inside the box a millimeter source which
is nothing but a spark gap and then he used a
tube that is metallic hollow tube as the
transmitter. Due to its transmitting character it
behaves as an antenna. In additional it also
consists of a prism and other structure to show
the concept of refraction and reflection property
and on the right side we have a receiver so this
receiver receives millimeter wave signal then
that will show that is how to sense this
millimeter wave signal so he had designed one
detector which nothing but it is a metal semi
conductor junction. when millimeter wave
signal falls on this detector it provides DC
current simply DC voltage so we can then detect
this DC voltage by using a measuring device
called galvanometer. In the spark gap we have
two gaps between these two pins. High voltage
is applied between these two pins which
generate sparks. He used the millimeter wave
frequency range so he placed this spark gap
inside this box. The spark gap inside the
transmitting part from which the
electromagnetic wave is being transmitted by
this pipe is known as horn antenna. The prism is
made up of dielectric material so to show the
refraction property of electromagnetic signal
and this is the receiver side. It is also provided
with a point contact detector. It is made up of a
metal needle and in the bottom side it’s a semi
conductor material it is a galena lead sulphite so
it has non linear characteristics so almost similar
to a P N junction and when the electromagnetic
signal falls on this it provides DC voltage so
then by measuring this DC voltage we can
detect electromagnetic signal so he had invented
this type of detector it’s a long time back in the
year 1895. In the middle part it is provided with
some parallel metallic wire so when
electromagnetic signal falls on it so if the
electric field is perpendicular to this metallic
wire it can pass through this wire mesh but if the
electric field is parallel to this wire then
diffraction of the component incident
electromagnetic wave which will occurs which
will pass through this wire mesh so similarly so
he designed some other polarizer’s. He used
several metallic plates so these plates are
parallel to each other then any electromagnetic
wave whose electric field is parallel to this
metal it can pass through it. He also designed
another polarizer that is made of jute and inside
he had used different wires. He designed the
world’s first millimeter wave systems so after
professor J C Bose’s work almost after 50-60
year there was no work remains at millimeter
wave frequency. So again it is started at during
Second World War that is initial 1940’s.
Fig. 1. Experimental set up of Sir J.C.Bose
IV. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF MILLIMETER WAVE
The Millimeter wave includes the propagation
characteristics such as atmospheric oxygen,
humidity, fog and rain. The effect of water
vapor, which varies depending on the absolute
humidity, is limited to between zero and about
50% loss per km (i.e 3dB/km) at a very high
humidity and temperature. The additional loss
of signal as it propagates through fog or cloud is
similar to the loss due to humidity, which is
depending on the quantity and the size of liquid
water droplets in the air. Though 50% loss of
signal due to these atmospheric effects may
seems to be the significant, and they are almost
insignificant in compared to that of the losses
due to rain, and are only important for a long
distance deployments (more than 5 km) of all
atmospheric conditions, rain causes the most
significant loss of about 70 GHz and 80 GHz
signal strength, as is the case with the
microwave signals as well. The signal loss due
to rain depends on the rainfall rate which is,
often measured in terms of millimeters per hour.
The millimeter wave actual performance
depends on several factors, in particular the
distance between radio nodes and the link
margin of the radios, and sometimes it also
includes additional factors such as diversity and
type of redundant paths.
IV.A. ATMOSPHERIC ATTENUATION
In Millimeter wave communication it has to
face so many challenges so in that one of them
is the atmospheric attenuation. The figure shows
the attenuation in db per kilometer versus the
wavelength. In the diagram it is represented in a
solid line and one dotted line so this dotted line
which corresponds to the measured attenuation
in db/kilometer at a height of about 4 kilometer
from the sea surface. And the solid line it
corresponds to attenuation at the sea level,
attenuation at the sea level is higher than that of
the atmosphere. The curve from left hand side to
right hand side that actual frequency increases at
22 gigahertz it has some attenuation band. This
is due to the resonance of water molecule (H2O)
and again a peak occurs at 60GHz. This is due
to the absorption of oxygen. The further
increase in the frequency is due to one more
absorption band at 118 gigahertz and this is due
to the oxygen molecule and at 183 gigahertz.
One more attenuation band which is again due
to water molecule so which means there exist
some propagation windows. For longer distance
communication these windows are used.
millimeter wave frequencies and because it’s the
size of the rain droplet is comparable to
millimeter wave wavelength so that’s why this
effect is more prominent at millimeter wave
frequency in compared to the lower frequencies.

Fig. 2. Atmospheric attenuation

Fig. 3.Rain attenuation
IV.B. RAIN ATTENUATION
V. FREQUENCY BANDS
The weather conditions such as fog, rain and Various frequency bands for millimeter wave
sand storm, even though dust storm also, affect communication are specified in table 1. These
millimeter wave propagation. So this is a typical bands provide the basic frequency range to be
attenuation plot and the rain rate with which the used for various wireless communications. The
difference frequency range for example the general millimeter wave frequency band ranges
lower rain rate for 25 millimeter per hour to from (25-300) GHz.
1.25 millimeter per hour. So for this range the
attenuation is typically at a millimeter wave
frequencies ranges from 1 to 2 db or kilometer
but for moderate rain for example of about 5 to
25 millimeter per hour it increases to 10 db per
kilometer and for a cloud burst typically in the
range of 150 millimeter to 250 millimeter per
hour this attenuation can increases to as high as
100 db per kilometer this attenuation happened
because the droplet rain droplet it scattered Fig. 4.Frequency spectrum for millimeter
wave
 Fig. 5.Band of spectrum for 5G communication

Bands Frequency Range Typical Uses

L 1-2 GHz Military Telemetry, GPS, Mobile Phones (GSM), Amateur Radio.
S 2-4 GHz Weather Radar, Surface Ship Radar, Some Communication Satellites,
Microwave Ovens, Radio Astronomy, Mobile Phones, Wireless LAN,
Bluetooth, Zig bee, GPS, Amateur Radio.
C 4-8 GHz Long Distance Radio Telecommunications.
X 8-12 GHz Satellite Communications, Radar, Terrestrial Broadband, Space
Communications, Amateur Radio.
Ku 12-18 GHz Satellite Communications.
K 18-26.5 GHz Radar, Satellite Communications, Astronomical Observations.
Ka 26.5-40 GHz Satellite Communications.
Q 33-50 GHz Satellite Communications, Terrestrial Microwave Communications, Radio
Astronomy, Automotive Radar.
V 50-75 GHz Millimeter Wave Radar research and other kinds of scientific research.
E 60-90 GHz UHF Transmissions.
W 75-110 GHz Satellite Communications, Millimeter Wave Radar research, Military
Radar targeting and tracking applications, and some Non-Military
applications.
F 90-140 GHz SHF Transmissions: Radio Astronomy, Microwave
Devices/communications, Wireless LAN, most modern Radars,
Communications Satellite, Satellite Television Broadcasting, DBS,
Amateur Radio.
D 110-170 GHz EHF Transmission: Radio Astronomy, High Frequency Microwave Radio
Relay, Microwave Remote Sensing, Amateur radio, Directed Energy via
Millimeter Wave Scanner

Table. 1.Applications of different frequency bands

 VI. APPLICATIONS OF MM WAVE The
high frequency of the millimeter waves as well
as their propagation characteristics (i.e., the
methodology by which they change or interact
with the atmosphere as they travel) it is used in
a variety of applications including transmitting
large amounts of computer data, cellular
communications, and radar. This transmitting a
large amount of data is one of the greatest and
the most important use of the millimeter wave
communication. Every kind of wireless
communication, such as the radio, cell phone, or
satellite, which all uses specific range of
wavelengths or frequencies. Each application
provider (such as a local television or radio
Fig. 6.Applications of millimeter wave
broadcaster) has a unique “channel” assignment,
so that they can all communicate at the same
time without interfering with each other. These
channels have “bandwidths” (also measured in
either wavelength or frequency) that must be
large enough to pass the information from the
broadcaster’s transmitter to the user. Radar is
another important use of millimeter waves,
which takes advantage of another important
property of millimeter wave propagation called
beam width. The Emerging Applications of
Millimeter Wave Communication includes Data
Centers, aerospace applications, vehicular
applications, replacing wired interconnects on
chips.
 VII. CONCLUSION
In 1895, J. C. Bose carried out his research
activities on Millimeter Wave. From then, so
many research activities have been carried out
for establishing fast and efficient wireless
communications. At present, researchers are
working towards emerging technology which
takes leap towards the establishment of the
5G in order to provide higher data rate at less
bandwidth consumption. From the above
analysis, millimeter wave technology
integrated along with 5G can be utilized for
various applications which includes Data
Centers, aerospace, vehicular, educational
sectors, satellite communication, medical,
agricultural sectors by replacing wired
interconnects on chips .
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