A Holistic Antenna Design Paradigm for the 5G Wireless Communication System

Abstract

The 5G wireless communication system covers a broad set of applications operating in a wide frequency spectrum, starting from the sub-GHz range to millimeterwave frequencies. The heterogeneity in requirements, which depend on the specific use case, and the pertinent radiowave propagation conditions at the operating frequency pose important challenges in terms of antenna design. Given the strict link budget margins, highly efficient antenna systems are required, often consisting of multiple antennas and tightly integrated with active transceiver hardware. In this contribution, we propose a holistic paradigm for the design of such active antenna systems, based on a full-wave/circuit co-optimization strategy. Highly efficient and autonomous solutions are obtained by directly co-designing the antenna with the transceiver circuitry that is integrated onto the antenna feed plane and the energy harvesters that are deployed on the antenna plane. The methodology is illustrated by two representative examples: a wearable wireless sensor node with integrated solar cell and a downlink remote antenna unit with integrated opto-electronic conversion circuit.