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Performance Analysis of Low-Cost Printed Antenna Array Elements for 5G

LOS-MIMO Arrays at 60 GHz

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DOI: 10.1007/s11277-019-07007-4

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Performance Analysis of Low-Cost Printed
Antenna Array Elements for 5G LOS-
MIMO Arrays at 60 GHz

Nebojša M. Vojnović, Slobodan V. Savić,

Milan M. Ilić & Andjelija Ž. Ilić

Wireless Personal Communications

An International Journal

ISSN 0929-6212

Wireless Pers Commun

DOI 10.1007/s11277-019-07007-4

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 Author's personal copy
Wireless Personal Communications
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-019-07007-4

Performance Analysis of Low‑Cost Printed Antenna Array

Elements for 5G LOS‑MIMO Arrays at 60 GHz

Nebojša M. Vojnović1   · Slobodan V. Savić1   · Milan M. Ilić1,2   · Andjelija Ž. Ilić3 

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019

Abstract
Design of 5G and beyond 5G telecommunication systems relies on utilization of diverse
solutions for different envisioned applications and different constituents of an entire sys-
tem. One of the research directions is the utilization of a global unlicensed millimeter wave
frequency band from 57 to 66 GHz for the high throughput data transfer. Apart from the
wide spectrum availability at 60 GHz, there are many problems to be resolved before the
concept can become fully functional; one of the requirements is the design of low-cost,
energy efficient, wideband antennas with enhanced gain, capable of overcoming propaga-
tion losses at 60 GHz. We investigate the benefits and shortcomings of four types of low-
cost, printed antennas as the constituents of sub-array elements for the large line-of-sight
MIMO arrays. The results are put into perspective by comparison with the most used low-
cost microstrip patch sub-array element. The state-of-the-art method-of-moments compu-
tations were employed in the highly accurate analyses of the four compared antenna array
elements. Although the gains of such sub-arrays can be boosted by the increases in antenna
numbers, this does not hold for the efficiency or bandwidth of operation; therefore, radia-
tion patterns and characteristics at the level of individual antennas cannot be ignored as
these translate directly into the behavior of an array. Careful choice of antenna type and
initial efforts in the sub-array design should be seen as a necessary first step in the design
of a large line-of-sight MIMO array of superior characteristics.

Extended author information available on the last page of the article

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Graphic Abstract

Keywords  Millimeter waves · Line-of-sight (LOS) MIMO · Wideband antennas · Sub-

arrays · Gain enhancement · Method-of-moments calculations

1 Introduction

A plethora of applications envisioned for the future mobile communications, i.e., 5G and
beyond 5G communications, sets stringent requirements to be fulfilled [1–5]. These include
the increases in data rates and system capacity by orders of magnitude, while keeping very
low data transfer latency. Ultra-reliable communications, with the data transfer latency
on the order of 1 ms, are planned for a group of critical applications [3]. To meet all the
requirements, design of telecommunication systems focuses on distributed system realiza-
tions rather than the centralized ones [2, 6], on complex control algorithms, and on adapt-
able and versatile constituent parts of the system [7]. Hybrid networks are envisioned, inte-
grating optical and wireless network technologies, while utilizing a unified control plane
[7]. Therefore, a technological shift is mandated, towards the much more cost efficient,
energy efficient, as well as spectrally efficient system realizations [1–10].
Wireless network technologies will be combining the sub-6  GHz frequency bands
[11–15], with the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency bands [16–20], offering wider
available bandwidths. Massive multiple-input multiple-output arrays (mMIMO) [1, 8],
for enhanced mobile broadband capability will most likely initially be used in the sub-6
GHz bands and in the licensed band at 24  GHz to 28  GHz [1, 16]. On the other hand,
the unlicensed mm-wave spectrum around 60 GHz, with the broadband bandwidth avail-
ability from 57 to 66  GHz, is very attractive for the multi-gigabit short-range wireless
systems, point-to-point (P2P) and point-to-multipoint (P2MP) communications, fixed
wireless access under the line-of-sight (LOS) conditions, enhancement of the wireless
backhaul capabilities of the densified small-cell networks, vehicular applications, and other
high throughput applications [20–22]. One of the solutions in realizing the desired high
data rate wireless connectivity lies in the utilization of the large antenna arrays, i.e., the
line-of-sight MIMO (LOS-MIMO) arrays. As it is known, the atmospheric attenuation
at 60  GHz is significantly higher than in the other mm-wave frequency bands currently
being investigated for 5G applications. At this frequency, the attenuation due to the rainfall

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[23] and foliage is also more pronounced, mandating utilization of shorter communica-
tion distances. At 60 GHz, the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation components can be
considered negligible. (Although a single reflected component from the conductive ground
is sometimes present, it is much smaller in amplitude than the dominant LOS component.)
Design of antenna arrays, therefore, relies more on the deterministic modeling and less on
stochastic channel analyses. High gain, and therefore also high directivity, of an antenna
array are necessary to account for higher propagation losses. Fortunately, smaller wave-
lengths allow for packing more antennas into the same aperture area and thus achieve the
desired directivity. Another promising point about the 60 GHz wireless communications is
that the interference of various signals and data traffic streams is highly suppressed, facili-
tating spatial multiplexing. Theoretic feasibility analyses of mm-wave communication,
complemented with the results of exhaustive measurements comparing different mm-wave
frequencies considered for future use, can be found in [22–24].
Large antenna arrays employ a multitude of electrically small to medium sized antennas
with satisfactory radiation patterns, relying on the array factor to achieve the overall high
gain and low sidelobe levels [16, 24, 25]. Microstrip patch antennas have been extensively
used in the design of these arrays. Antenna array optimization, correspondingly, often
focuses on the array design under the supposition of idealized individual antennas, with
numerous results in literature investigating optimal antenna array arrangements, sub-array
configurations, and choice of array element subsets for the most efficient powering scheme
[6, 8–10]. However, comparative analysis of individual antenna properties and radiation
patterns, which directly translate into the behavior of an entire array, is needed to properly
assess the effectiveness of using a particular antenna type within a large MIMO array. It
is of interest to investigate possible relative benefits, if there are any, when the antenna
types known for their excellent wideband properties are used as constituent elements of
sub-arrays and arrays for 60  GHz communications. The choice of this topic is primarily
motivated by the desired broadband capabilities of antenna sub-arrays, which are used in
forming the 60 GHz beams. Here, we study and compare a total of four types of antenna-
array elements for the LOS-MIMO arrays at 60 GHz, from the standpoint of performance
measures relevant to mm-wave communications. Planar printed antennas are a low-cost,
compact, and low-profile solution and their production process is relatively simple. Addi-
tionally, an array of three-dimensional antennas can be realized by appropriate stacking of
small circuit boards with the desired printed profiles. One of the studied antenna types is
the Vivaldi antenna realized in this way. It is compared to the planar bowtie dipole antenna,
with and without a reflector, and to the standard microstrip patch antenna. The state-of-
the-art full-wave numerical electromagnetic modeling software package WIPL-D has been
used in the analysis of antenna array elements. Performance measures of interest are calcu-
lated from the obtained data. The design trade-offs are discussed.

2 Line‑of‑Sight MIMO Arrays

Prior to the analysis of antenna sub-arrays and arrays, we outline in short the design rules
for the large LOS-MIMO arrays. Namely, functioning of the standard (NLOS) MIMO
arrays relies on the presence of multiple nearby scatterers and rich multipath components.
Propagation under the LOS conditions is different. In [26], a geometric (ray-tracing) inter-
pretation of the MIMO channel capacity expression has been introduced. Several exam-
ple environments and geometrical arrangements have been employed to demonstrate how

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to find optimal array geometries under specific conditions. A propagation channel model
accounting for both LOS and NLOS components has been described. Detailed analysis of
propagation in general NLOS-LOS environment, as well as in purely LOS environment,
has been presented in [27]. It has been shown that in the absence of scatterers in the vicin-
ity of transmitter and receiver, antenna array elements had to be separated by a distance
allowing different directions of departure (DoD) and directions of arrival (DoA) to be
clearly distinguished. Considering the range, R, being much larger than the antenna-array
aperture, effects of the path loss were deemed almost equal for different antennas in an
array. Likewise, for a large enough range (far field conditions), it was appropriate to use
the plane wave propagation model. Omitting the common propagation factors, it has been
found that the receive signatures of two consecutive array elements, l and l + 1, differ by

⟩ M−1
∑
e2πj ( sin(𝜃l+1 ) − sin(𝜃l ))m(dr ∕𝜆) . (1)
⟨
hl , hl+1 =
m=0

(Please see Fig.  3 in [27], as well as expressions and explanations therein.) In (1), M
denotes the total number of antenna elements at the receiver side, 𝜃l and 𝜃l+1 are the direc-
tion angles, dr is the antenna (array elements) separation at the receiver, and λ is the wave-
length. The direction angles are considered small, leading to 𝜃l ≈ (l −⟨ 1)dt ∕R⟩ , with dt being
the antenna separation at the transmitter. For the full orthogonality, hl , hl+1 must vanish,
resulting in the condition for adequate antenna separation product (ASP):
dt dr 𝜆
≥ . (2)
R M
Similar analysis can be performed at the transmitter side. Thus, M should be taken from
the more stringent requirement, i.e., for either the transmitting ( Mt ) or receiving ( Mr ) array,
whichever has the smaller number of elements. The degrees of freedom available for spa-
tial multiplexing [28, 29], with the given array elements number and spacing, using the
two-dimensional arrays, can be estimated as

(Mt − 1)dt (Mr − 1)dr 2

( )
Ndof ≈ + 1. (3)
𝜆R

Additionally, cross polarized elements can be included in the above arrays in order to fur-
ther improve the capacity through the increased signal-to-noise ratio resulting from the
diversity gain [30, 31]. The arrays fulfilling (2) tend to be electrically large; therefore, it
is only at mm-wave frequencies that very large number of elements becomes practical for
realization.
Figure 1 presents the optimal antenna (array elements) separation at 60 GHz, da assum-
ing identical transmitting and receiving arrays consisting of M antennas, as a function of
the link range, R. The unlicensed mm-wave spectrum around 60 GHz spans from 57.24 to
65.88 GHz; it comprises four communication channels, having a bandwidth of 2.16 GHz
each [25]. Wider gray regions in Fig.  1 correspond to the entire frequency region from
57.24 to 65.88 GHz. Array-element spacing should be taken as denoted by the black line,
corresponding to 57.24 GHz, rather than the one corresponding to 60.0 GHz (denoted by
the red line), to ensure optimal transmission in this entire frequency region. We can calcu-
late the required maximal linear size of an array of M antennas at 60 GHz, using the above
data. For example, for a link range of 100 m, the maximal linear size of LOS-MIMO arrays
of 5, 10, 20, and 40 antennas would be 1.3 m, 2.1 m, 3.1 m, and 4.5 m, respectively.

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Fig. 1  Antenna separation at 60 GHz, da , as a function of the link range, R, assuming identical transmitting
and receiving arrays consisting of M antennas (red line). Antenna separation for the entire spectral region
from 57.24 to 65.88 GHz (the unlicensed mm-wave spectrum at 60 GHz) is shown in gray, while the solid
red lines give antenna separation at 60 GHz. It is recommended to use the bordering values for 57.24 GHz
(solid black lines) to enable optimal transmission for the entire considered frequency band. (Color figure
online)

The functioning of the LOS-MIMO arrays is more efficient, from the standpoint of
attainable capacity, for moderate link ranges than for very long ranges. This has been
repeatedly obtained from measurements; however, the mentioned advantage has been cor-
rectly assessed in calculations only upon the replacement of the plane wave model by the
spherical-wave model [32, 33]. Using the spherical-wave model, it has been shown that an
additional increase in capacity can be achieved, taking even larger element spacing [32]. In
[33], possible mutual tilts of antenna arrays, 𝜃t at the transmitter side and 𝜃r at the receiver
side, have been considered, resulting in the following condition for the ASP:
𝜆R
dt dr ≥
M cos(𝜃t ) cos(𝜃r )
. (4)

Because of the high oxygen absorption attenuation and possible losses due to weather
conditions or other factors, basic antenna array element at mm-wave frequencies has to be
a sub-array itself in order to boost the gain. Typically, identical antennas are used to form
a sub-array, with the main incentive to increase the gain and directivity, while transmit-
ting a single stream of information. Regardless of the type of mm-wave communications,
a minimum of two-to-four antennas is planned for the small receiving devices and much
larger sub-arrays are being developed as antenna-array elements on the transmitting side
[1, 28, 34]. In case of the LOS-MIMO arrays and fixed wireless access scenarios, it is
quite feasible to have large arrays and their constituent sub-arrays formed out of multi-
ple antennas. In this manner, the beamforming gain is obtained through an improvement
of the signal-to-noise ratio, contributing further to the system capacity. Possible paths of
development to increase the gain and directivity of the sub-arrays include the design of
highly sophisticated multiple layer structures [35, 36], as well as the utilization of a large
number of simple and low-cost printed antennas, such as in [11, 19, 25, 37]. The low-cost,
printed, antenna-array elements are studied here. Having in mind the future communica-
tions network densification, low-cost solutions that fulfill technical requirements would be
very advantageous.

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3 Numerical Modeling and Comparison of Antenna Array Elements

The technology of antenna printing in microwave bands, using the standard printed circuit
board (PCB) fabrication, is well developed [38, 39]. This is a low-cost technology, suit-
able for serial manufacturing as well as for the design of very compact devices. Planar
printed antennas can also be easily integrated with the radio-frequency (RF) circuits and
with the monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC). At millimeter waves, the same
principles are used, while particularly paying attention on typical problems encountered in
these bands: accounting for changes in the substrate dielectric constants and loss tangents
at higher frequencies, taking care of surface waves and mutual coupling, picking the very
thin substrates to reduce radiation losses, etc. [40, 41]. For the 5G and beyond 5G systems,
high level of integration of circuits and systems is envisioned, making the antenna-on-chip
(AoC) and antenna-in-package (AiP) solutions very appealing [41]. Additional problems
to be resolved include the low radiation efficiency of some designs and interconnection
losses.
We have adopted all the parameters in our numerical simulations to conform with
the actual fabrication procedures, which will be used subsequently. These are very typi-
cal choices that have already been used in manufacturing of other 60  GHz circuits and
antennas. For example, all of the analyses were performed using the Rogers 3003 dielectric
substrate, appropriate for mm-wave frequencies due to the low thickness and good high
frequency properties [42]. Its dielectric constant is estimated to be εr = 2.96, loss tangent
is estimated to be tg δ = 0.001, and thickness is ts = 130 μm. Additionally, numerical mod-
eling at mm-wave frequencies requires careful approach accounting for the effects of metal
thickness, finite conductivity, metal surface roughness, etc. We included the effects of both
metal thickness, equal to 17  μm, and finite conductivity, by properly modeling the skin
effect. Instead of using the standard value of 57 MS/m for copper conductivity, we used the
value of 19 MS/m (reduced by a factor of three), in order to fully appreciate the effect of
copper surface roughness at mm-wave frequencies.
To ensure high accuracy of the numerically obtained results, the state-of-the-art full-
wave numerical electromagnetic modeling software package WIPL-D Pro solver, based on
the method-of-moments, has been used [43, 44]. Four types of the antenna array elements
chosen for this comparison are the two-by-two microstrip patch sub-array (MPSA), two-
by-two Vivaldi antenna sub-array, and the two-by-two bowtie antenna sub-array with and
without a reflector. The last two are basically the same antenna type. Different realizations
of a reflector can result in performance differences; therefore, we deemed it important to
include the analysis of a bowtie array without a reflector as well. Microstrip patch anten-
nas, in all their forms and shapes, are used most frequently in the designs and analyses
aimed at 5G communications; hence, it is appropriate to consider MPSA as a reference
case. Despite many recent innovative designs of the sub-6  GHz antennas [14, 15], it is
preferable to use simple geometrical shapes in the design of mm-wave antenna arrays. In
[19], size improvement of the standard microstrip patch array has been used to cope with
the fabrication tolerances, while the thin substrate reduced the antenna gain degradation
due to losses. Therefore, basic antenna types are used in the comparison, while noting the
modification possibilities and discussing the design trade-offs. Models of the antenna sub-
array types are shown in Fig.  2a–c, respectively. Figure  2d illustrates single and double
edging, a procedure that is typically performed in higher order modeling. Namely, it is effi-
cient to use large mesh elements wherever appropriate, and include electrically small mesh
elements only locally, in the regions of highly dynamic electromagnetic field variations.

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Fig. 2  Models of the antenna array elements for the 5G LOS-MIMO arrays: a microstrip patch sub-array
(MPSA); b Vivaldi antenna sub-array; c Bowtie antenna sub-array. d Single and double layer edge mod-
eling on both metal and dielectric has been performed in all cases, as it is vital to achieving very high accu-
racy of results with the higher order method-of-moments numerical electromagnetic modeling

The edging and imaging [45] have been performed in all cases. In addition, the reference
frequency of 110  GHz, 125  GHz, and 140  GHz, has been used for the MPSA, Vivaldi,
and bowtie antennas, respectively. The reference frequency determines the size of patches
in the model mesh. The increase of the reference frequency (with respect to the analysis
frequency) leads to very accurate and stable results by suitably increasing the expansion
orders and performing h-refinement [46] over the entire models.
In order to correctly assess the advantages offered by the examined two-by-two sub-
arrays, we have first performed the modeling of individual antennas and obtained their
bandwidth and radiation characteristics. These are used to check on the effectiveness of
combining certain antenna types into the sub-arrays. The two-by-two sub-arrays are mod-
eled next, being compact and easy to fit inside any of the modern hand-held devices, as
well as to be utilized as basic elements within the larger sub-arrays in stationary transceiv-
ers. In the utilized models, shown in Fig. 2a, c, the dimensions of the dielectric slab were
taken as 2λ0 × 2λ0, where λ0 = 5 mm denotes the wavelength in a free space at the operating
frequency of 60 GHz. In case of the MPSA, a ground plane is placed at the opposite side
of the substrate (not visible in the figure). Main antenna features were numerically calcu-
lated, including the complete radiation patterns, reflection coefficient, as well as antenna
gain, efficiency, bandwidth (BW), half-power beam width (HPBW), and front-to-back ratio
(FBR).

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Fig. 3  Frequency dependence of 0
the reflection coefficient. Vivaldi
antenna and bowtie antenna are -5
promising solutions to increase
-10
the antenna array element
bandwidth so as to encompass all -15
four communication channels of
the 60 GHz unlicensed mm-wave -20
spectral region. This is very

Γ (dB)
-25
desirable in order to boost the
data rates of the planned 60 GHz -30
LOS-MIMO links
Ω
-35

-40

-45

-50
50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70
f (GHz)

Fig. 4  Microstrip patch radiation patterns: comparison of the single patch radiation pattern with the two-by-
two antenna-array element comprised of identical, equally polarized patch antennas. Radiation pattern: a
x0y plane and b x0z and y0z planes

Single element analyses yielded the results shown in Figs.  3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and in

Table 1. Each antenna was optimized to have the natural resonant frequency at the cen-
tral frequency (60  GHz). At the natural resonant frequency, the input reactance of an
antenna is equal to zero. The reflection coefficient shown in Fig. 3 is calculated for the
nominal impedance (Zc) equal to the resistance of the antenna at its natural resonant
frequency (60 GHz). Thus, the matched VSWR bandwidth [47] could be calculated eas-
ily. Nominal impedance Zc for each of the antennas is shown in the inset of Fig. 3 and
in Table 1 in the “Bandwidth” column. Where it is appropriate (for all antennas except
for the Bowtie), HPBW is calculated in two main planes, as shown in Tables 1 and 2.
Microstrip patch exhibits the most narrowband behavior, coming from its resonant-type

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Fig. 5  Vivaldi antenna radiation patterns: comparison of the individual antenna radiation pattern with the
two-by-two antenna-array element (identical, equally polarized Vivaldi antennas). Radiation pattern: a x0y
plane and b x0z and y0z planes

Fig. 6  Bowtie antenna radiation patterns: comparison of the individual antenna radiation pattern with the
two-by-two antenna-array element comprised of identical, equally polarized bowtie antennas. Radiation
pattern: a x0y plane and b x0z and y0z planes

shape, which, through its length, L, dictates the resonant frequency. In Fig.  2a), the
length, L, of a microstrip patch is parallel to the y-axis, whereas the width, W, is par-
allel to the x-axis. The length of the microstrip patch antenna is L = 1.37 mm(which
is close to half wavelength of the corresponding microstrip line). The width is set to
W = 1.34 mm , so that the microstrip patch antenna radiates efficiently and without
excitation of higher order modes [57]. The feeding coaxial pin is offset from the center
of the patch by Lf = 0.257 mm , in the −y-axis direction, to obtain optimal matching.
Although design parameters of the microstrip patch antenna ( L and Lf  ) can be obtained
by a standard optimization algorithm (such as simplex optimization), there are efficient

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Fig. 7  Bowtie antenna with a reflector radiation patterns: comparison of the individual antenna radiation
pattern with the two-by-two antenna-array element comprised of identical, equally polarized bowtie anten-
nas with a reflector. Radiation pattern: a x0y plane, b x0z and y0z planes

Table 1  Single antenna characteristics for the four considered antennas

Antenna type Gain (dB) Efficiency (%) Bandwidth (%)/Zc (Ω) HPBW (°) FBR (dB)

Patch 7.16 87.98 2.90/39.45 82.46/73.35 17.77

Vivaldi 6.70 95.51 23.95/50.69 71.05/97.75 14.82
Bowtie 2.45 97.78 22.17/39.00 85.41 0.00
Bowtie (refl.) 7.59 97.79 33.13/49.22 60.78/100.79 13.78

Table 2  Summary of the two-by-two sub-array characteristics

Antenna type Gain (dB)/Δ (mm) Efficiency (%) HPBW (º) FBR (dB)

Patch (MPSA) 12.95/2.6 85.41 33.94/32.78 37.03

Vivaldi 2×2 13.24/4.8 96.16 21.01/21.30 18.17
Bowtie 2×2 8.97/2.3 96.10 40.12/50.40 –0.24
Bowtie (refl.) 2×2 13.58/2.7 97.35 33.85/40.90 27.70

iterative algorithms specially designed for this purpose. By using such an algorithm
[48], L and Lf were determined very quickly, after only a few iterations. The efficiency
of the microstrip patch is significantly lower than that of the other two antenna types.
This is well known [49, 50], yet the microstrip patch is the most used antenna type due
to its easiest design and implementation, as well as its relatively high gain.
In the design of basic antenna sub-arrays, identical, equally polarized antennas were
used to boost the overall gain, which is required to be very high, for the planned high data
throughput at 60 GHz. The distances between the individual antennas were adjusted, so as
to maximize the sub-array gain in each of the four cases. This distance is found theoretically

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to be equal to Δ = λ0/2 = 2.5 mm, whereas we have obtained numerically the distances of

Δ = 2.6  mm, Δ = 4.8  mm, Δ = 2.3  mm, and Δ = 2.7  mm, for the MPSA, Vivaldi, bowtie,
and bowtie with the reflector antennas, respectively, as shown in Table  2. We contribute
the differences to the mutual coupling between the antennas, which has been taken into
account in numerical simulations. In order to assess and compare only the characteristics
of the antenna-array elements, without the influence of the feeding network, which could
introduce different effects in the four considered cases, four antennas comprising the basic
array elements were fed separately. Feeding network was omitted; instead, four synchro-
nized generators per sub-array were used for this purpose. Summary of the obtained two-
by-two sub-array characteristics is presented in Table 2.
Each microstrip patch antenna is fed using an optimally positioned coaxial pin placed
between the patch itself and the ground plane. For simplicity, the optimal pin position was
found only along one coordinate (please see Fig.  2a). The maximum obtained gain for
MPSA equals 12.95  dBi, i.e., the resultant gain increase of 5.79  dB is very close to the
theoretical value of 6 dB (corresponding to four antennas). This antenna type has an excel-
lent front-to-back ratio as a direct consequence of using the ground plane. The sub-array
efficiency was calculated by dividing the gain obtained for the case when all the losses
were included, with the gain corresponding to the lossless case. Radiation pattern is shown
in Fig. 4.
Vivaldi antenna sub-array, shown in Fig.  2b, represents a tapered slot antenna with a
gradual transition from the slot input impedance to the free-space impedance, Zc ≈ 120π Ω.
Total length of the taper is λ0 = 5 mm, while the first section of the slot (please see Fig. 2 b)
is fed using a coupled 50 Ω microstrip line printed on the other side of the dielectric slab.
The opening of the Vivaldi antenna follows an exponential function ekx , with the opti-
mal value of the parameter k around 0.3. As opposed to the other two antenna types con-
sidered, the Vivaldi sub-array is not planar, although it is still very compact, about 6 mm
in height, as well as relatively low-cost and easy to produce. This antenna type is best
known for its excellent wideband operation. Its gain of 6.70  dBi for individual antenna,
and 13.24  dBi when the sub-array is considered, is very close to the one of MPSA. An
increase of 6.54 dB is achieved by utilizing the two-by-two sub-array with a large distance
between the elements (Δ is somewhat less than λ0), which is very good and promising from
the standpoint of employment in the LOS-MIMO antenna arrays. Radiation pattern of the
Vivaldi sub-array is shown in Fig. 5.
The third antenna type considered, shown in Fig.  2c, is a wideband dipole or bowtie
antenna sub-array; the detailed view of a single bowtie antenna is given in the inset. The feed-
ing is implemented using a short wire with a generator between the arms of the bowtie, placed
inside the dielectric slab. This antenna is a planar wideband antenna. In the first analysis, there
is no ground plane beneath the dielectric, which is the reason why the front-to-back ratio is
around zero. Slightly negative FBR is a consequence of focusing of the EM field inside the
substrate. Typical solutions for enhancing the gain and the FBR of these antennas include
placement of a reflecting plane beneath the antenna array at a distance of about λ0/4, or metal-
lic cavities at λ0/4 [51], or other reflectors [52], or, more recently, artificial magnetic conductor
surfaces very close beneath the antenna array [53], resulting in a lower profile in comparison
with the other reflectors. We use the most common approach of placing a metallic flat plate
reflector at a distance of λ0/4 beneath the bowtie antennas and compare these results with the
other antenna types, as well. It is interesting to note, although a single antenna has a gain of
2.45  dBi, there is a significant increase when the sub-arrays of these antennas are formed,
leading to a total gain of 8.97 dBi for a two-by-two sub-array. More than 6 dB increase, more

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N. M. Vojnović et al.

precisely 6.52 dB, is the result of the synergistic operation, where each of the antennas addi-
tionally induces radiation from its neighbors in the array.
Half-power beam widths (HPBW) of planar single antennas (microstrip patch antenna and
bowtie antenna), as well as the corresponding sub-arrays, are on the similar order of mag-
nitude. The two-by-two Vivaldi sub-array has somewhat narrower beam, with the difference
between the beam widths of different antenna types reduced for the sub-arrays. This also
implies somewhat higher directivity, which can be obtained as D = 2 (1 − cos( 21 HPBW))−1
for nearly conical beams [54]. However, the FBR of a Vivaldi sub-array is lower than the ones
of the planar sub-arrays utilizing reflecting surfaces beneath. Sub-array efficiency is excellent
for the Vivaldi and bowtie sub-arrays, which is in line with the recommendations for improved
energy efficiency in 5G systems.
In addition to the high gain requirements for mm-wave 5G communications, the proposed
standards for 60 GHz wireless systems set the bandwidth requirement of about 2 GHz [25, 55,
56], corresponding to the spectrum channel bandwidth of 2.16 GHz. With respect to this, it is
seen that a standard MPSA can cover a single channel; however, modifications are possible
to increase the bandwidth about two times [25, 49]. On the other hand, Vivaldi and bowtie
exhibit very good wideband properties, and can be employed in principle to transmit informa-
tion over the four available channels in the 60 GHz unlicensed mm-wave band.
The required spacing of antenna array elements, needed to preserve the full rank LOS-
MIMO channel, is rather large. For example, for a typical link range R = 100 m and identical
ten element uniform linear arrays or ten-by-ten uniform rectangular arrays on the transmitter
side and receiver side, we obtain from (2) that sub-arrays forming the antenna-array elements
would be spaced at least dt = dr = 223.6 mm, which is about 44λ0. With cross polarized sub-
arrays, sometimes used to improve the diversity gain, array element spacing would be about
22λ0. Such a large spacing allows for considerably sized sub-arrays, in comparison with the
basic studied case of two-by-two sub-arrays. The initial estimates of the gain increase, obtain-
able by the addition of sub-array antennas, can be easily acquired using numerically calculated
data for the two-by-two sub-arrays and theoretical expressions for the antenna array factor.
It is assumed here, that two-by-two sub-array antennas are combined solely for the purpose
of gain increase, i.e., with identical, in-phase, input currents, whereas the phase shifts for the
beam steering purpose may be present in adjacent basic elements. With equal antenna spac-
ing, d = λ0, in both array dimensions, u and v, and a total of n antennas per dimension, the
⃗ n , is obtained as [57]:
resulting radiation pattern, F
( ) ( )
sin(n𝜓u ∕4) sin(n𝜓v ∕4)
⃗ n = AF ⋅ F
F ⃗2 = ⋅ ⋅F⃗2 ,
sin(𝜓u ∕2) sin(𝜓v ∕2)
(5)
2𝜋d sin 𝜃 cos 𝜙 2𝜋d sin 𝜃 sin 𝜙
𝜓u = 𝛿u + , 𝜓v = 𝛿v + .
𝜆0 𝜆0

In (5), θ denotes the angular deviation from the axis broadside to the antenna array, and
ϕ the angle of the projection in the u–v plane, of the position vector from the central sub-
array element to the observation point. Phase shifts 𝛿u,𝛿v , correspond to the u and v direc-
tions. The radiation pattern of a two-by-two sub-array is denoted F ⃗ 2 . Maximum antenna-
2
array factor, AF = n /4, is obtained as a limiting value when both parameters 𝜓u and 𝜓v
approach zero, i.e., in the broadside direction. Figures of merit for the upper limit of
obtainable sub-array gain are given in Table 3.
From the point of view of the channel capacity, defined as

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Performance Analysis of Low‑Cost Printed Antenna Array Elements…

Table 3  Estimates of the maximum n-by-n sub-array Gain (dBi) with the increased number of antennas, n 
Antenna type n = 2 n = 6 n = 10 n = 14 n = 22 n = 30
(size) (~ λ0) (~ 3λ0) (~ 5λ0) (~ 7λ0) (~ 11λ0) (~ 15λ0)

Patchn×n (MPSA) 12.95 22.49 26.93 29.85 33.78 36.47

Vivaldi n×n 13.24 22.78 27.22 30.14 34.07 36.76
Bowtie n×n 8.97 18.51 22.95 25.87 29.80 32.49
Bowtie (refl.) n×n 13.58 23.12 27.56 30.48 34.41 37.10

SNRn
( ( ))
C = BW ⋅ log2 det 𝐈M + 𝐇𝐇H , (6)
M
LOS-MIMO arrays, in addition to the spatial multiplexing gain, which increases the rank
of the 𝐇𝐇H product, offer the possibility of improving the signal to noise ratio SNRn by uti-
lizing the sub-arrays consisting of n × n individual antennas as LOS-MIMO array elements.
The number of sub-array elements, n, should be optimized for the planned link range and
communication conditions to avoid generating excessive radiated power, as well as to avoid
any unnecessary power consumption. Excessive radiated power can lead to environmental
exposures [58] or undesired interference with other 5G systems. Limiting the power con-
sumption is in compliance with the recommended design of 5G wireless networks aimed
at reducing overall system requirements and energy consumption [10, 59, 60]. At the same
time, according to Table 3, it is realistic to achieve antenna gains higher than 20 dBi with
careful design of antenna sub-arrays. Therefore, utilization of wideband antennas at a cost
of slightly increased sub-array dimension, n, is fully cost-effective, as it allows signal trans-
fer over multiple communication channels and, in turn, utilization of as much as four times
wider bandwidth with the same antenna array. The bowtie antenna with the reflector is
selected for final optimization as it demonstrates the best performance measures, whereas
requiring moderate design complexity. As the future extension of this study, a larger LOS-
MIMO array, comprising the proposed sub-arrays, will be fully optimized, fabricated on
the Rogers 3003 dielectric substrate, and measured.

4 Conclusions

Motivated by an intention to check exactly to what extent is the choice of antenna array
elements important in the design of very large millimeter-wave LOS-MIMO arrays, we
have modeled and rigorously simulated four types of antenna-array elements. Deliberately,
general antenna types were studied, while noting modification possibilities for an improved
operation. In addition to the trade-offs at the system level, in the number of antennas, sizes
of sub-array elements, powering schemes, and others, it has been shown that a trade-off
should be performed at an antenna  design level as well, in order to achieve the optimal
performance of the antenna sub-arrays. The obtained results unambiguously confirm the
anticipated benefits of utilization of highly efficient, wideband, antennas, which often
require more complex designing approaches and design optimizations for the best results.
It is profitable to invest additional time and effort into the antenna sub-array design, to
improve the characteristics of an overall array and increase the system capacity.

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N. M. Vojnović et al.

Acknowledgements  This work was supported by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science, and Tech-
nological Development (MPNTR) under projects TR-32005 and III-45003, and by the project of bilateral
cooperation Germany-Serbia “Development of robust and efficient LOS-MIMO antenna arrays, adaptive
beamforming algorithms, and high performance signal processing for 5G multigigabit broadband wire-
less communications”, funded jointly by MPNTR (Serbia) and DAAD (Germany). (Project acronym:
5G-MIMO-Array).

Compliance with Ethical Standards 

Conflict of interest  The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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institutional affiliations.

Nebojša M. Vojnović  received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical

engineering from the University of Belgrade, School of Electrical
Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia, both in 2008. He is currently pursuing
a Ph.D. degree at the University of Belgrade. Since 2017 he has been
working at the School of Electrical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia as a
research assistant. His research interests include microwave imaging,
modeling and simulation of antennas and microwave and millimeter-
wave components and circuits.

Slobodan V. Savić  received the B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in

electrical engineering from the University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Ser-
bia, in 2008, 2009, and 2015, respectively. He is currently an Assistant
Professor with the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Bel-
grade. He has authored or coauthored several international journal
papers, one invited book chapter, invited conference papers, as well as
a textbook. His research interests include computational electromag-
netics, antennas, microwave and mm-wave components and circuits.
Dr. Savić is a Secretary of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society—
SCG Chapter. He has so far collaborated on two national projects of
the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of
Serbia.

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 Author's personal copy
N. M. Vojnović et al.

Milan M. Ilić  received the Dipl. Ing. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical
engineering from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, and the Ph.D.
degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth,
MA, USA, in 2003. He is a Professor with the School of Electrical
Engineering, University of Belgrade and Affiliated Faculty Member
with the ECE Department, Colorado State University. His research
interests include computational electromagnetics, applied electromag-
netics, antennas, and active and passive microwave components and
circuits. Dr. Ilić was the recipient of the 2005 IEEE Microwave Theory
and Techniques Society (IEEE MTT-S) Microwave Prize. He was the
recipient of the 2016 “Prof. Aleksandar Marinčić” Award, given annu-
ally by the IEEE MTTS Serbia.

Andjelija Ž.  Ilić  received the Dipl. Ing., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in
electrical engineering from the University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Ser-
bia, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, USA,
and University of Belgrade, Serbia in 1998, 2004, and 2010. She is
currently an Assistant Research Professor with the Institute of Physics
Belgrade. She was a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Univer-
sity of Westminster, London, U.K., during 2013–2014. Her research
interests are in applied and computational electromagnetics, and mil-
limeter-wave circuits. Dr. Ilić was the recipient of the 2006 Young Sci-
entist and the 2014 Best Paper ETRAN Awards, as well as the “Prof.
Aleksandar Marinčić” Award given annually by the IEEE MTTS Ser-
bia chapter, for the best journal paper in 2016.

Affiliations

Nebojša M. Vojnović1   · Slobodan V. Savić1   · Milan M. Ilić1,2   · Andjelija Ž. Ilić3 

* Andjelija Ž. Ilić
andjelijailic@ieee.org
Nebojša M. Vojnović
nebojsav@etf.bg.ac.rs
Slobodan V. Savić
ssavic@etf.bg.ac.rs
Milan M. Ilić
milanilic@etf.bg.ac.rs
1
School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia
2
ECE Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
3
Institute of Physics Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia

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