A Low-Profile Broadband Dual-Polarized Base Station Antenna Array With Well-Suppressed Cross-Polarization

Next-generation wireless communication requires antennas with excellent performance and low-profile structures. A low-profile broadband dual-polarized base station antenna array with an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) reflector and cross-polarization suppression structures is proposed. Cross-polarization is effectively suppressed by introducing the structures among the antenna elements with almost no impact on the other antenna performances, and the cross-polarization suppression mechanism is analyzed theoretically. The AMC reflector reduces the antenna profile only
$0.12\lambda _{0}$
(
$\lambda _{0}$
is the free-space wavelength at 4 GHz). Prototypes of the antenna element and the five-element antenna array are fabricated, and the simulated and measured results indicate that both achieve good performance over the entire operating frequency band. The antenna array has high isolation (>28 dB), a wide operating bandwidth (3.14–5.32 GHz, 51.5%), and stable radiation performances (XPD >29 dB, gain >15 dBi, FBR >37 dB). The proposed antenna array with good performance and a low profile may be a candidate for 5G communication applications.