Four-element lens array antenna for advanced point-to-(multi)point high-bandwidth wireless communication

The aim of this work is to propose a wideband high-gain four-element (2 × 2) lens array antenna with operating frequency in an important region of the electromagnetic spectrum which is key for next-generation high-rate communication. Frequency- and time-domain methods were used to analyze the antenna, with time-domain simulations being preferred. The antenna design started from a basic wideband microstrip antenna on Rogers RO 4350 substrate. Next, to increase the basic antenna gain, a dielectric half-sphere lens was used. Subsequently, the lens antenna was utilized as an array element to form the proposed four-element array antenna. The proposed array antenna exhibited fractional bandwidth of 98.8 % from 34.4 to 101.6 GHz with maximum gain of 16.9 dB at 101.5 GHz. Interesting computational results are presented and discussed in terms of run time, maximum utilized memory, and number of mesh cells for each development step of the antenna. Finally, the antenna was mounted on top of a 24-pin integrated circuit (IC); its three-dimensional (3D) radiation pattern at 60 GHz is presented and discussed.