Optimal Capacity-Driven Design of Aperiodic Clustered Phased Arrays for Multi-User MIMO Communication Systems

The optimal design of aperiodic/irregular clustered phased arrays (PAs) for base stations (BSs) in multi-user (UE) multiple-input–multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication systems is addressed. This article proposes an
ad hoc
synthesis method aimed at maximizing the UEs traffic capacity within the cell served by the BS while guaranteeing a sufficient level of the signal at the terminals. Toward this end, the search of the optimal aperiodic clustering is carried out through a customized tiling technique able to consider both single and multiple tile shapes and assure the complete coverage of the antenna aperture for the maximization of the directivity. Representative results, from a wide set of numerical examples concerned with realistic antenna models and benchmark Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) scenarios, are reported to assess the advantages of the irregular array architectures in comparison with regular/periodic layouts proposed by the standard development organizations as well.