MIMO antenna array with the capability of dual polarization reconfiguration for 5G mm-wave communication

Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 31;12(1):18298. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-23163-3.

Abstract

This communication presents a polarization reconfigurable antenna array (PRAA) with Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) formation for 5th generation (5G) millimeter wave (mm-Wave) communications. At first a single corner curtailed diagonal slotted cylindrical patch is printed on Roger RT Duriod 5880 and the overall size of the single antenna is 12 × 12 × 0.787 mm3. The circular polarization (CP) is realized by adding the diagonal slot in the circular patch. The antenna design is extended into two elements antenna array which occupies 20 × 20 × 0.787 mm3 footprint. The collection is formed using a T-shaped power divider/combiner. Pin-diodes are integrated with the patches to switch the polarization state between LP (Linear polarization) and CP radiation. The edge-to-edge distance between antenna elements is 6 mm. The design covers the 25.2-29.4 GHz band, and the maximum peak gain is 11.5 dBi. Moreover, a two-port (2 × 2) MIMO design is formed to increase the channel capacity. To isolate the ports, a sin-like slot is engraved in the ground, defected ground structure (DGS) technique of mutual coupling reduction; it can easily be implemented and increases the design efficiency. The port isolation is well above 30 dB for the entire operating band. Moreover, the Mean Effective Gain (MEG), Diversity Gain (DG), and Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) are investigated, which are key performance metrics of MIMO. A prototype of the realized MIMO antenna system is fabricated, and the simulated outcomes carried out by Computer Simulation Technology (CST) tools are validated by experimental findings.