As demand for mobile and fixed communication systems increases, various studies are underway to use millimeter-wave (mmWave) bandwidths that are higher than the frequencies used in the past. Fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication using the 28-GHz band and Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) using the 60-GHz band are typical examples. Millimeter-waves with good resolution are also suitable for use in automotive radar for improving driver safety and convenience, and imaging systems for security and medical.
As the antenna is one of the key components in these mmWave applications, antenna design is required for each application. The feed network design is also one of the key technologies since the discontinuity of the feed network directly affects the performance of the antenna. In this dissertation, I designed mmWave antennas and feed networks connected from the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) to the antenna.
Designing antennas and feed networks in that band must be entirely dependent on electromagnetic simulations. Therefore, I proposed the procedure of validation of modeling and simulation for efficient and accurate simulation and preceded studies to verify it using several examples. Three simulators which are mainly used to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic (EM) model are utilized and the results were applied to design antennas and feed networks. Next, antennas for use in 5G mobile devices were proposed and experimentally verified. The double-sided flexible printed circuit (FPC) was folded to realize an aperture-coupled patch antenna, which reduces the cost of the process required for stacking. In addition, the feed line and the patch of the antenna were folded by 90° so that the antenna radiates in the end-fire direction. The above design method satisfied the low-cost, miniaturization and end-fire radiation. In addition, the performance was improved by adjusting the spacing between the radiation patch and the aperture at no additional cost.
Finally, I designed the feed networks connected from the MMIC to the antenna. Since the 28-GHz MMIC cannot be obtained, it was replaced with the MMIC and antenna used in the automotive radar front-end module in the same mmWave band. The stack-up and the dielectric properties of the module to be designed were determined. Based on this, I designed transition structures to compensate the discontinuity and to measure the fabricated feed networks. A 9-channel jig was designed to measure multiple channels simultaneously. Designed feed networks were verified through both simulation and measurement.