Preliminary design of 94 GHz E-band phase array antenna for future mobile communication

Recent interest in 5G communication prompts research in millimeter wave (mmW) massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technique. Although actual band and modulation scheme have not yet been specified, many indications lead to Ka band. However, due to the small size of cell phone, we consider E-band to be more suitable for 5G or beyond mobile communication. In this paper we present a preliminary design of a 94 GHz phase array antenna that consists of 16×16 dipole antenna with beam forming ring elements, each element has ∼ 5 dBi gain, and the array combined gain is ∼32 dBi and 3 dB beam width is ∼ 1.36°. The 10 dB bandwidth is around 66.28–117.94 GHz. We explain the logics that lead to this design, and analyze the possible link budget, and compare the pro and con of antenna on chip (AoC), antenna on package (AoP), and antenna on case (AoCa). We found it is possible but difficult to use a complete CMOS transceiver to achieve a reliable 94 GHz link between user equipment (UE) and base station (BS), and power amplifier made of III–V compound is still necessary. AoCa offers easier implementation of large area array with better gain and main beam accuracy.