Millimeter-wave 5G Antennas for Smartphones:

Overview and Experimental Demonstration

Diego Fernando Chaparro Vaca

Carlos Mauricio Rodriguez Rodriguez
Elkin Alejandro Romero Hernández

1
Index
1. Introduction
2. Antenna Design Considerations
3. Design of mmWave 5G cellular Handset Antennas
4. Experimental Characterization and Analysis
5. Conclusions
6. Bibliography

2
Introduction
Transition from 4G technology to the Fifth-Generation.

Importance and influence of smartphones on the mobile network industry.

Millimeter-Waves 5G Antennas are a key technology for the transition.

3
Antenna Design Considerations
Cellular handset effect
To investigate the effect of the cellular handset chassis
on the mmWave 5G antenna a rudimentary 4 × 4
phased-array consisting of patch elements with 0.5λ
pacing at 60 GHz is designed and studied. The
designed antenna array consists of 0.6 mm-thick FR-4
PCB (printed-circuit board) substrate with εr = 3.92
and tanδ = 0.027

Fig. 1. Comparison of the far-field radiation Fig. 2. The effect of the user’s hand on
properties of mmWave phased-array antenna. mmWave 5G cellular handset antennas at 60
(A) In free-space condition. (B) Implemented GHz. (A) E-Plane. (B) H-Plane.
within the upper corner of a conventional
cellular handset.

4
Antenna Design Considerations
Hardware integration
Assuming initial mmWave 5G radios adopt analog
beamforming technologies, two possible mmWave 5G
front-end configurations for a single RF chain.

DPDT (double pole double throw)

SPDT (single pole double throw)

Fig. 3. The proposed mmWave 5G

antenna schematic for future
cellular handsets.

5
Antenna Design Considerations
Gain Coverage Cost

The realistic size constraints of cellular handset The large insertion loss of coaxial cables at mmWave
geometries render planar phased-array topologies to frequencies render discrete mmWave 5G antennas to be
be advantageous. However planar phased-arrays ineffective. Consequently mmWave 5G antennas must be
inherently exhibit sub-hemispherical beam steering regarded and designed as part of the RF frontend module and
coverage and this will likely result in wireless placed within extremely close proximity to the 5G RF
coverage blind spots. transceiver chip using compact, low-loss interface and
packaging technologies.

6
Design of mmWave 5G cellular Handset Antennas
M1 shares a reference ground with the antenna using buried
vias.
The power schematic and the digital signal routing are situated
from M1 to M3 and from M9 to M12.
The 60 GHz signals are routed from the RFIC to each of the
antenna elements through a combination of buried vias and
striplines which are implemented from M6 to M8.
The transmission lines routing each buried via interconnects to
the corresponding antenna elements are located in M7.
A pair of ground planes are designed on M6 and M8.

The material properties of the antenna module is treated as a

stratified medium and its effective permittivity ε r = 3.92 and loss
tangent tanδ = 0.027.

The diameters of the vias and the capture pads are configured to
The proposed lamination of the 60 GHz mmWave cellular handset be 100 μm and 150 μm respectively.
Antenna. Image from [1]

7
Design of mmWave 5G cellular Handset Antennas

The resonance frequency is predominantly

determined by Lh = 1.05 mm while the quality
factor Q is also affected by the width Th = 0.25 mm
and the separation distance d w = 0.35 mm from
the reference ground plane
The horizontally polarized mesh-grid patch antenna. (A)3-dimensional
view. (B) Zoom-in view of the radiator region.

The vertically polarized mesh-grid patch antenna. (A) 3-dimensional

view. (B) Zoom-in view of the radiator region.
8
Design of mmWave 5G cellular Handset Antennas
In case of the first antenna module (A), dual-linear
polarization is achieved by alternatively implementing a
combined number of sixteen horizontal and vertical-polarized
mesh-grid antenna elements along the edge of the PCB
lamination

The footprint of the phased-array is minimized by configuring

the separation distance Sp to be less than
quarter-wavelength

The mmWave phased-array antenna module consisting of mesh-grid

antenna elements. (A) Dual-polarized antenna module. (B) Single-polarized
antenna module. Images from [1]
9
Design of mmWave 5G cellular Handset Antennas

(A) Measured input reflection coefficients of the dual-polarized antenna array. (B) Measured input reflection coefficients of the
single-polarized antenna array. Images from [1]

The mesh-grid vertical antenna elements within The vertical mesh-grid antenna element is
the dual-polarized phased-array module is more susceptible to the fabrication errors
found to be more susceptible to resonant as the dominant electric current travels
frequency shifts due to its higher sensitivity
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related to via-hole fabrication aberrations.
Experimental Characterization and Analysis

Proposed methods of integrating mmWave 5G antennas on the carrier board of cellular handsets. (A)
Mounted directly on the carrier board. (B) Integrated within the carrier board. (C) Independent configuration. 11
Image From [1].
Experimental Characterization and Analysis

Far-field radiation patterns of the dual-polarized Far-field radiation patterns of the single-polarized
phased-array antenna module. phased-array antenna module.

12
Images from [1]
Experimental Characterization and Analysis
Three different pairing of cellular devices
functioning as the server and the client:
Dual-Pol. & Hor.-Pol.
Dual-Pol. & Dual-Pol.
Hor.-Pol. & Hor.-Pol.

Case A:
Server 0°≤ɸ≤360°, θ=0°
Client ɸ=0°, θ=0°

Case B:
Server 0°≤ɸ≤360°, θ=90°
Client ɸ=0°, θ=0°
Measurement setup of the automated measurement setup to
evaluate the mmWave antenna modules integrated inside cellular
handsets. Image From [1].
13
Experimental Characterization and Analysis
(A) Measured data throughputs (Gbps) of
the 60 GHz antenna modules when the
server and client cellular handsets are
configured to be in parallel in the azimuth
plane (co-polarized transmit and receive) as
function of azimuth (degrees) and distance
(D). (B) Measured data throughputs (Gbps)
of the 60 GHz antenna modules when the
server and client cellular handsets are
configured to be orthogonal in the azimuth
plane (cross-polarized transmit and receive)
as function of azimuth (degrees) and
distance (D). Image from [1]

14
Experimental Characterization and Analysis

Photographs of the three detrimental user scenarios.

Measured data throughputs for each user scenarios

as function of client-server distance.

15
Images from [1]
Conclusions
One of the major challenges for the implementation of 5G technology is the
adaptation of mobile devices, particularly antennas, which must allow a high rate
of transmission and reception data. The research and development of mm-Waves
5G Antennas bring us closer of the implementation of this new technology.

16
Bibliography
[1] W. Hong, K. Baek, S. Ko, “Millimeter-wave 5G Antennas for Smartphones:
Overview and Experimental Demonstration”, in IEEE Transaction on Antennas and
Propagation, Journal Article,2017.

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