60 GHz Frequency Sensor Antenna for Short-Range Millimeter-Wave Detection Application

In this letter, we discuss a methodology of converting a modular antenna array, which was originally designed for the 23 GHz unlicensed band, to the emerging 60 GHz 5G band for a short-range millimeter-wave (mm-wave) detection application. The feeding structure is made up of substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) and coupling brick-slots, allowing relatively simple and cheap manufacturing. As revealed by a sensitivity analysis, frequency up-conversion significantly increases the level of precision needed in manufacturing processes. A high 60 GHz frequency sensor antenna provides a high 2-D cross-range resolution. The properties of the converted array antenna are investigated when it is equipped with an 8-element flat patch antenna array. The proposed design is based on a 47 × 35 mm
²
structure with a thickness of 0.254 mm, resulting in high radiation efficiency for imaging/detecting systems. A fractional bandwidth of 2.5% is obtained by measuring the proposed prototype. The design's modularity, inherent scalability, and measured high gain of 22 dB, as well as the potential for integration of advanced features such as a sensor system, make it a suitable solution for the low-cost realization of fully customized and adaptive short-range mm-wave networks in the 60 GHz band.