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Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems

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A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 19804

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Dr. Syed Muzahir Abbas

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Guest Editor

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia
Interests: antennas; electromagnetics; carbon nanotubes; wearable; 3d printing; high-impedance surfaces; frequency-selective surfaces; 5G; mmWave; millimeter wave; PDMS; high gain; base station; UHF; VHF; beam steering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yang Yang

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Guest Editor

School of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Interests: mm Wave communications; AI-based resource management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the spectrum scarcity at the sub-6 GHz bands and the increasing demands for extremely high data rates, millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications are regarded as a critical technology for future mobile communication systems. Millimeter-wave frequency bands, which offer abundant underutilized spectral resources, have been explored and exploited in the past several years to meet the requirements of emerging wireless services highlighted by high data rates, ultrareliability, and ultralow delivery latency. Despite the benefits of high data rates and ultralow latency, the unique characteristics of mmWave (e.g., continuous wide bandwidth, large path loss, and penetration loss), along with hardware constraints, introduce great challenges in the design of efficient and robust mmWave communication systems. This requires a great deal of fundamental research on the design of all aspects of antenna and mmWave application, including but not limited to network coordination, channel analysis, antenna design, channel measurement, mobility management, routing, spectrum access, signal processing, resource allocation, interference management and network planning.

Moreover, by incorporating high multiplexing gains achievable with massive antenna arrays, mmWave massive multiple-input–multiple-output (massive MIMO) systems show great potential to significantly raise user throughput, enhance spectral and energy efficiency, and increase the capacity of mobile networks. Although the potential of mmWave massive MIMO is exciting, all aspects of system design require innovative techniques to fulfill the full potential of mmWave massive MIMO, including transceiver architecture, the design of precoding and antenna arrays, channel estimation and feedback, multiple access schemes, and resource allocation.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality manuscripts covering new research on topics related to mmWave communications and multiple-antenna technology, including but not limited to signal processing for mmWave networks, mobility management and seamless handover for mmWave networks, PHY design, channel measurement, network analysis, resource allocation, interference management, etc.

Dr. Syed Muzahir Abbas
Dr. Yang Yang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

mmWave massive MIMO
PHY design
mmWave signal processing
mmWave networks

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

DMCNet-Pro: A Model-Driven Multi-Pilot Convolution Neural Network for MIMO-OFDM Receivers

by Pengyuan Li, Tianlin Zhu, Yutong Xin, Gang Yuan, Xiong Yu, Zejian Lu, Zili Liu and Qing Yan

Electronics 2024, 13(2), 330; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13020330 - 12 Jan 2024

Viewed by 641

Abstract

Nowadays, wireless communication technology is evolving towards high data rates, a low latency, and a high throughput to meet increasingly complex business demands. Key technologies in this direction include multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). This research is based on our previous work DMCNet. In this article, we focus on studying the deep learning (DL) application of neural networks to solve the reception of single-antenna OFDM signals. Specifically, in multi-antenna scenarios, the channel model is more complex compared to single-antenna cases. By leveraging the characteristics of DL, such as automatic learning of parameters using deep neural networks, we treat the reception process of MIMO-OFDM signals as a black box and utilize neural networks to accomplish the signal reception task. Moreover, we propose a data-driven multi-pilot convolution neural network for MIMO-OFDM receivers (DMCNet). By incorporating complex convolution and complex fully connected structures, we design a receiver network to recover the transmitted signals from the received signals. We validate the accuracy and robustness of DMCNet under different channel conditions, comparing the bit error rates with different schemes. Additionally, we discuss the factors influencing various channel effects. At the same time, we also propose a model-driven scheme, DMCNet-pro, which has a higher accuracy and fewer parameters in some scenarios. The experimental results demonstrate that the DL-based reception scheme exhibits promising feasibility in terms of accuracy and interference resistance when compared to traditional approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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15 pages, 5731 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Design of a Ka-Band Heterogeneous Integrated T/R Module of Phased Array Antenna

by Qinghua Zeng, Zhengtian Chen, Mengyun He, Song Wang, Xiao Liu and Haitao Xu

Electronics 2024, 13(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13010204 - 02 Jan 2024

Viewed by 842

Abstract

The central element of a phased array antenna that performs beam electrical scanning, as well as signal transmission and reception, is the transceiver (T/R) module. Higher standards have been set for the integration, volume, power consumption, stability, and environmental adaptability of T/R modules due to the increased operating frequency of phased array antennas, the variability of application platforms, and the diversified development of system functions. Device-based multichannel T/R modules are the key to realizing low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna microsystem architecture. The design and implementation of a low-profile, high-performance, and highly integrated Ka-band phased array antenna T/R module are examined in this paper. Additionally, a dependable Ka-band four-channel T/R module based on Si/GaAs/Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC), applying multi-material heterogeneous integration architecture, is proposed and fabricated. The chip architecture, transceiver link, LTCC substrates, interconnect interface, and packaging are all taken into consideration when designing the T/R module. When compared to a standard phased array antenna, the module’s profile shrunk from 40 mm to 8 mm, and its overall dimensions are only 10.8 mm × 10 mm × 3 mm. It weighs 1 g, and with the same specs, the single channel volume was reduced by 95%. The T/R module has an output power of ≥26 dBm for single-channel transmission, an efficiency of ≥25%, and a noise factor of ≤4.4 dB. When compared to T/R modules based on System-on-Chip (SOC) devices, the RF performance has significantly improved, as seen by an increase in single channel output power and a decrease in the receiving noise factor. This work lays a foundation for the devitalization and engineering application of T/R modules in highly reliable application scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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16 pages, 5443 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Design of High-Gain and Low-Mutual-Coupling Multiple-Input–Multiple-Output Antennas Based on PRS for 28 GHz Applications

by Jinkyu Jung, Wahaj Abbas Awan, Domin Choi, Jaemin Lee, Niamat Hussain and Nam Kim

Electronics 2023, 12(20), 4286; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12204286 - 16 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1454

Abstract

In this paper, a high-gain and low-mutual-coupling four-port Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna based on a Partially Reflective Surface (PRS) for 28 GHz applications is proposed. The antenna radiator is a circular-shaped patch with a circular slot and a pair of vias to secure a wide bandwidth ranging from 24.29 GHz to 28.45 GHz (15.77%). The targeted band has been allocated for several countries such as Korea, Europe, the United States, China, and Japan. The optimized antenna offers a peak gain of 8.77 dBi at 24.29 GHz with a gain of 6.78 dBi. A novel PRS is designed and loaded on the antenna for broadband and high-gain characteristics. With the PRS, the antenna offers a wide bandwidth from 23.67 GHz to 29 GHz (21%), and the gain is improved up to 11.4 dBi, showing an overall increase of about 3 dBi. A 2 × 2 MIMO system is designed using the single-element antenna, which offers a bandwidth of 23.5 to 29 GHz (20%), and a maximum gain of 11.4 dBi. The MIMO antenna also exhibits a low mutual coupling of −35 dB along with a low Envelope Correlation Coefficient and Channel Capacity Loss, making it a suitable candidate for future compact-sized mmWave MIMO systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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22 pages, 11327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A THz Slot Antenna Design Using Analytical Techniques

by Shay Rozenberg and Asher Yahalom

Electronics 2023, 12(10), 2233; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12102233 - 14 May 2023

Viewed by 1810

Abstract

Slot antennas are very popular microwave antennas, and slotted waveguides are used for high frequency radar systems. A thin slot in an infinite ground plane is the complement to a dipole in free space. This was described by H.G. Booker, who extended Babinet’s principle from optics to show that the slot will have the same radiation pattern as a dipole such that the E and H fields are swapped. As a result, the polarization is rotated, so that radiation from the vertical slot is polarized horizontally. In this work, we show how this straightforward analytical technique can be used for the design of high-frequency THz slot antennas. The analysis is then corroborated by using a numerical simulation which validates the performance parameters predicted by the analytical technique. We show by simulation that, despite the simplicity of our classical approach, we obtained useful results, even at THz frequencies. We show that gradually moving the slot position from the centerline improves the antenna’s performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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12 pages, 2447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compact Design Method for Planar Antennas with Defected Ground Structures

by Won Jun Lee, Won-Sang Yoon, Dal Ahn and Sang-Min Han

Electronics 2023, 12(10), 2226; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12102226 - 14 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1694

Abstract

In this paper, a compact antenna design method is proposed for microstrip patch antennas using a double-layered defected ground structure (DGS) configuration. While a conventional single-layered defected ground structure yields a lower resonant frequency and Q-factor, a smaller circuit size can be achieved using an additional substrate with a higher dielectric constant. The size reduction obtained from the additional resonant LC elements is analytically explained using the equivalent circuit model. The characteristics of the additional substrates are investigated for various dielectric constants and thicknesses. From the experimental results, the proposed design method leads to a total size reduction of up to 51.7% and a miniaturized design for planar antennas with ground apertures. The proposed design method can be applied to various antenna designs with any DGS pattern. Furthermore, the size reduction method can maintain the structure of the resonant patch element and its radiation characteristics. Therefore, the proposed method is applicable to the design of microwave devices on microstrip-based configurations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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25 pages, 1429 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From 5G to beyond 5G: A Comprehensive Survey of Wireless Network Evolution, Challenges, and Promising Technologies

by Ali Sufyan, Khan Bahadar Khan, Osama A. Khashan, Talha Mir and Usama Mir

Electronics 2023, 12(10), 2200; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12102200 - 12 May 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5796

Abstract

The histrionic growth of mobile subscribers, disruptive ecosystems such as IoT-based applications, and astounding channel capacity requirements to connect trillions of devices are massive challenges of the earlier mobile generations, 5G turned up the key solution. The prime objective of the 5G network is not only to maintain a 1000-fold capacity gain and 10 Giga Bits per second delivered to a single user, but it also assured quality-of-service, higher spectral efficiency, the ultra-reliable and improved battery lifetime of devices and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). The huge traffic load and high amount of resource consumption in 5G applications, augmented reality and virtual reality for magnificent virtual experience, and wireless body area networks will seriously affect the channel capacity of cellular cells and interrupt the admission and service of other users which makes compulsory new means of channel capacity and spectral efficiency enhancement techniques. In this research, we review several key emerging wireless technologies to increase channel capacity and spectral efficiency that will not only lead to improve network performance but also meets the ever-increasing user demands. We investigate various benefits and current research challenges of using these technologies. We analyze massive multi-input multi-output technology (mMIMO) an efficient technique and promising solution for the 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) networks with several benefits and features. Moreover, this paper will be of vast help to the researchers who will involve advance investigation and also to the wireless network operator industry that is in the search for smooth development of state-of-the-art 5G and B5G networks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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13 pages, 6709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ultracompact SIRC-Based Self-Triplexing Antenna with High Isolation

by Rusan Kumar Barik and Slawomir Koziel

Electronics 2023, 12(9), 2112; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12092112 - 05 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1087

Abstract

An ultracompact self-triplexing antenna realized on a substrate-integrated rectangular cavity (SIRC) is discussed in this study. The proposed structure employs two L-shaped slots and an inverted U-shaped slot to radiate at three independent operating frequency bands. Three 50-ohm microstrip feed lines were used to excite the radiation in these slots. The operating frequency was individually tuned using the slot size. The slot placement and size were designed having in mind considering obtaining one or more frequency bands below the SIRC cutoff frequency, which had the advantage of enabling an ultracompact size. High port isolation was achieved by applying one of the ports orthogonally to the two remaining ones, which created a weak cross-coupling channel. A lumped-circuit model was created to examine the antenna operation. The presented design has been prototyped and experimentally validated with the measured operating frequencies of 1.92 GHz, 4.43 GHz, and 5.25 GHz for GSM, 5G, and WLAN applications, respectively. The port isolations are better than 32.4 dB according to both EM simulations and measurements. Meanwhile, the measured realized gain of the antenna is better than 4.3 dBi at all bands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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13 pages, 3191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Validity of Plane and Spherical Millimeter-Wave Incidences for Multiple-Diffraction Calculations in Wireless Communication Systems

by Alba López-Segovia, Ignacio Rodríguez-Rodríguez, José-Víctor Rodríguez, Leandro Juan-Llácer, María Campo-Valera and Wai Lok Woo

Electronics 2023, 12(9), 2020; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12092020 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 832

Abstract

The focus of this work is to determine at which threshold can the results for both plane and spherical wave incidence assumptions either converge or deviate when performing multiple diffraction attenuation calculations. The analysis has been carried out—for various millimeter-wave frequencies, inter-obstacle spacings, and angles of incidence—by employing a pair of two-dimensional (2D) hybrid formulations based on both the uniform theory of diffraction and physical optics (UTD-PO). This way, we seek to demonstrate under which circumstances each wave incidence assumption can be valid in environments that entail millimeter-wave bands. Based on this, we may ensure the minimum necessary distance from the transmitter to the first diffracting obstacle for the convergence of the spherical wave incidence solution onto that of the plane wave with a relative error below 0.1%. Our results demonstrate that for less than four diffracting elements, the minimum necessary distance engages in quasi-linear behavior under variations in both the angle of incidence and obstacle spacing. Notably, the considered frequencies (60–100 GHz) have almost no bearing on the results. Our findings will facilitate the simplified, more accurate and realistic planning of millimeter-wave radio communication systems, with multiple diffractions across various obstacles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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14 pages, 1820 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SIW Leaky Wave Antenna for THz Applications

by Vivek Arya, Tanuj Garg and Hamza Mohammed Ridha Al-Khafaji

Electronics 2023, 12(8), 1839; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12081839 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1696

Abstract

This paper proposes a new design of leaky wave antenna (LWA) based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology for THz applications. The suggested LWA structure has a combination of longitudinal and transverse slots and makes a 10-element linear array of radiating elements. To address the problem of open-stop-band (OSB), four additional smaller slots were etched on the corners of longitudinal and transversal slots. At the broadside, this LWA provided a gain of 12.33 dBi, and a continuous wide beam scanning range from +78° to −6° via the broadside while exhibiting efficient radiation performance over the operating frequency bands of 105 GHz to 109 GHz with a peak gain of 16.02 dBi. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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14 pages, 3010 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Machine Learning-Inspired Hybrid Precoding for HAP Massive MIMO Systems with Limited RF Chains

by Shabih ul Hassan, Talha Mir, Sultan Alamri, Naseer Ahmed Khan and Usama Mir

Electronics 2023, 12(4), 893; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12040893 - 09 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1413

Abstract

Energy efficiency (EE) is the main target of wireless communication nowadays. In this paper, we investigate hybrid precoding (HP) and massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems for a high-altitude platform (HAP). The HAP is an emerging solution operating in the stratosphere at an amplitude of up to 20–40 km to provide communication facilities that can achieve the best features of both terrestrial and satellite systems. The existing hybrid beamforming solution on a HAP requires a large number of high-resolution phase shifters (PSs) to realize analog beamforming and radio frequency (RF) chains associated with each antenna and achieve better performance. This leads to enormous power consumption, high costs, and high hardware complexity. To address such issues, one possible solution that has to be tweaked is to minimize the number of PSs and RFs or reduce their power consumption. This study proposes an HP sub-connected low-resolution bit PSs to address these challenges while lowering overall power consumption and achieving EE. To significantly reduce the RF chain in a massive MIMO system, HP is a suitable solution. This study further examined adaptive cross-entropy (ACE), a machine learning-based optimization that optimizes the achievable sum rate and energy efficiency in the Rician fading channel for HAP massive MIMO systems. ACE randomly generates several candidate solutions according to the probability distribution (PD) of the elements in HP. According to their sum rate, it adaptively weights these candidates’ HP and improves the PD in HP systems by minimizing the cross-entropy. Furthermore, this work suggests energy consumption analysis performance evaluation to unveil the fact that the proposed technique based on a sub-connected low-bit PS architecture can achieve near-optimum EE and sum rates compared with the previously reported methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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Review

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19 pages, 3998 KiB

Open AccessReview

MIMO Dielectric Resonator Antennas for 5G Applications: A Review

by Hamza Ahmad, Mohd Haizal Jamaluddin, Fauziahanim Che Seman and Muhibur Rahman

Electronics 2023, 12(16), 3469; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12163469 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1333

Abstract

This article presents a thorough literature review of published designs of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) specifically designed for 5G applications. The performance of these designs is discussed in detail, considering various parameters such as gain, isolation, size, bandwidth, profile, and radiation characteristics. The primary objective of this work is to appreciate the significant progress made in this vital area of research. This article also aims to identify any existing gaps in the literature and provide potential directions for future work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antennas and Millimeter-Wave Applications for Mobile Communication Systems)

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