Low-Profile High Gain Array Antenna Based on 1×4 Patch Element for 5G mm-Wave Applications

An extremely low-profile 5G mm-wave array antenna with enhanced gain is presented in this paper. The antenna configuration consists of a 4×4 array, constructed using a 1×4 patch element, and is designed on a substrate board with a compact footprint of 3.57λ<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</inf>× 3.57λ<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</inf> (where λ<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</inf>, highest operating wavelength at 24.5 GHz). The initial design begins with a 1×2 inset-fed patch array, which is then extended to form a 1×4 array. The proposed array achieves a -10 dB reflection coefficient (|S<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">11</inf>|) range from 24.5 GHz to 30.35 GHz, effectively covering the 5G mm-wave bands n257/n258 (26.5–29.5 GHz/24.25–27.5 GHz). A peak realized gain of 18.38 dBi and a total efficiency of 95% are observed within respective band. Moreover, the radiation patterns exhibit desirable characteristics with a reasonable co- to cross-polarization ratio. The obtained simulation results validate the antenna’s performance, indicating that the proposed 5G mm-wave array antenna is a promising candidate for satellite communication.