An SIC-Fed Low-Profile Wideband Metamaterial-Based Antenna Array for 5G Wireless Cellular Networks

摘要

In this paper, we propose a metamaterial (MTM)-based low-profile wideband antenna andits array using a substrate integrated cavity (SIC) feed structure for 5G wireless cellular networks.The proposed wideband antenna consists of two sets of square mushroom-like arrays; a semi-groundplane and a microstrip line-fed bow-tie radiator. Due to the unique in-phase reflection characteristicof the mushroom-like metamaterial, the bow-tie antenna wideband performance is maintained whilethe distance between the bow-tie radiator and the metamaterial-based semi-ground is considerablyreduced to 0.014λ0 (λ0is the operating wavelength at 5 GHz in free space), thereby satisfyingthe compact size requirement desirable in many wireless communication systems. The in-phasereflection of the mushroom unit cell is applied to analyze and explain the wideband performanceof the presented antenna. The proposed dielectric-filled (εr = 3.55) MTM-based wideband antennaelement has an overall size of 1.0λ0 × 0.8λ0 × 0.054λ0 and attains a measured (S11 < −10 dB)bandwidth of 31.3. Subsequently, an SIC feed structure is employed to form an array antenna, anda measured (S11 < −10 dB) bandwidth of about 17 is obtained. Across the operating bandwidth,which partly covers the 5G wireless communication in the sub-6 GHz band and 5-GHz WLAN, theantenna array achieved an average gain of 6.6 dBi and a radiation efficiency greater than 73.