EM Simulation of 28 GHz Series-Fed Patch Antenna Array for 5G

Part of the discussion for next generation wireless communication is the ability to rapidly steer beams from antenna arrays at higher frequencies. In this example, a proposed antenna is comprised of eight series-fed patch elements, each containing eight patches that are connected in such a way to produce both standing wave and traveling wave behavior. The array produces a single beam which may be swept in the horizontal axis of the array by varying the phasing of the signals at the inputs of the elements.

The array is evaluated for standard performance metrics such as S-parameters and gain as well as for effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP). EIRP is effectively the input power supplied to an antenna multiplied by the gain of that antenna. It indicates the total power that an isotropic antenna would have to radiate to match the signal strength of the main beam of the evaluated antenna. Simulations in this paper are performed using XFdtd EM Simulation Software.