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Review
. 2022 Apr 26;22(9):3329.
doi: 10.3390/s22093329.

Current Sheet Antenna Array and 5G: Challenges, Recent Trends, Developments, and Future Directions

Sajjad Hussain  1 , Shi-Wei Qu  2 , Abu Bakar Sharif  2   3 , Hassan Sani Abubakar  2 , Xiao-Hua Wang  1 , Muhammad Ali Imran  4 , Qammer H Abbasi  4
Affiliations
Review

Current Sheet Antenna Array and 5G: Challenges, Recent Trends, Developments, and Future Directions

Sajjad Hussain et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Designing an ultra-wideband array antenna for fifth generation (5G) is challenging for the antenna designing community because of the highly fragmented electromagnetic spectrum. To overcome bandwidth limitations, several millimeter-wave bands for 5G and beyond applications are considered; as a result, many antenna arrays have been proposed during the past decades. This paper aims to explore recent developments and techniques regarding a specific type of phased array antenna used in 5G applications, called current sheet array (CSA). CSA consists of capacitively coupled elements placed over a ground plane, with mutual coupling intentionally introduced in a controlled manner between the elements. CSA concept evolved and led to the realization of new array antennas with multiple octaves of bandwidth. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the existing works in this line of research. We analyze and discuss various aspects of the proposed array antennas with the wideband and wide-scan operation. Additionally, we discuss the significance of the phased array antenna in 5G communication. Moreover, we describe the current research challenges and future directions for CSA-based phased array antennas.

Keywords: 5G; antenna array; current sheet array (CSA); millimeter-wave; ultra-wideband (UWB).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Historical perspective and present state of CSA technology.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Advantages of CSA-based array design.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A typical TCDA equivalent circuit.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Unit element implemented with an integrated balun, each cell has two 100 Ω baluns fed using a single 50 Ω microstrip trace [38].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Millimeter-wave array prototype for n257 5G band (a) isometric view unit element Dx, Dy = 5 mm; (b) top view (including meta-surface loaded WAIM layer); (c) bottom view [44].
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) 8 × 8 planar 5G millimeter-wave array prototype active VSWR; (b) Broadside co-polarized and cross-polarized gain versus frequency [44].
Figure 7
Figure 7
12  ×  12 array prototype designed for 26, 28 GHz 5G millimeter-wave bands (a) top view; (b) bottom view of the ground plane with 64-element [23].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Measured (dashed curve) and simulated (solid curve) scan patterns of 5G millimeter-wave array (32 elements excited) at 26.5 GHz for scan to 0° (red), ±30° (green), ±45° (blue), ±60° (magenta) (a) E-plane; (b) H-plane [23].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Unit cell illustration. From top to bottom: superstrate, overlapping bowtie elements, resistive sheet, ground plane, and 3-stage Wilkinson power divider [56].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Unit element design of the tightly coupled open folded dipole array [68].
Figure 11
Figure 11
(a) 5 × 5 UWB phased array prototype for millimeter-Wave ISM and 5G bands, without measurement fixtures alongside a U.S. penny. Inset (top): array interior structure; (b) Broadside gain of the 3 × 3 array prototype. Co-polarized (solid curve) and cross-polarized (dashed) [73].
Figure 12
Figure 12
Simulated S21 of the coax to microstrip transition, (a) coax port shifted laterally by 0–0.254 mm); (b) coax port shifted axially by −0.254–0.508 mm [73].
Figure 13
Figure 13
Unit element geometry of fully planar Ultrawideband tightly-coupled array (FPU-TCA), with different views (a) 3-D; (b) cross-sectional; (c) dipole layer; (d) horizontal part of the feed probe [76].
Figure 14
Figure 14
(a) Backside view of fully-planar wide-scan millimeter-wave 8 × 4 array prototype in H-structure for scanning to 45°; (b) Measured S21 of the connector and line and the total value corresponding to the feed networks for the broadside and 45° radiation [76].
Figure 15
Figure 15
Simulated and measured normalized realized gain of 8 × 4 arrays for (a) broadside radiation in E-plane; (b) broadside radiation in H-plane; (c) 45° radiation in E-plane; (d) 45° radiation in H-plane [76].
Figure 16
Figure 16
Geometry of the proposed millimeter-wave circularly polarized arrays unit element (a) 3-D view; (b) Side view [79].
Figure 17
Figure 17
Fabricated prototype, (a) top view; (b) bottom view; (c) testing in the anechoic chamber [79].
Figure 18
Figure 18
Measured and simulated reflection coefficients of the 8 × 8 CP array antenna for millimeter-wave applications [79].
Figure 19
Figure 19
Measured and simulated radiation patterns of 64-element CP millimeter-wave array at (a) 19; (b) 24.5; (c) 30 GHz [79].
Figure 20
Figure 20
Measured and simulated gains and efficiencies of the CP array designed for 24, 26, 28 GHz 5G bands [79].
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