applied
sciences
Article
mmWave Four-Element MIMO Antenna for Future 5G Systems
Muhammad Abbas Khan 1 , Abdullah G. Al Harbi 2 , Saad Hassan Kiani 3,4, * , Anis Nurashikin Nordin 5 ,
Mehr E Munir 6 , Sohail Imran Saeed 6 , Javed Iqbal 7,8 , Esraa Mousa Ali 9 , Mohammad Alibakhshikenari 10
and Mariana Dalarsson 11, *
Citation: Khan, M.A.; Al Harbi, A.G.;
Kiani, S.H.; Nordin, A.N.; Munir,
M.E.; Saeed, S.I.; Iqbal, J.; Ali, E.M.;
Alibakhshikenari, M.; Dalarsson, M.
mmWave Four-Element MIMO
Antenna for Future 5G Systems. Appl.
Sci. 2022, 12, 4280. https://doi.org/
10.3390/app12094280
Academic Editor: Hosung Choo
Received: 7 April 2022
Accepted: 22 April 2022
Published: 23 April 2022
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
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iations.
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094280
1 Department of Electrical Engineering, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta 87300, Pakistan; muhammad.abbas@buitms.edu.pk
2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Jouf University, Sakaka 42421, Saudi Arabia;
a.g.alharbi@ieee.org
3 Department of Electrical Engineering, IIC University of Technology, Phnom Penh 121206, Cambodia
4 Smart Systems Engineering Laboratory, College of Engineering, Prince Sultan University,
Riyadh 11586, Saudi Arabia
5 Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur 43200, Malaysia; anisnn@iium.edu.my
6 Department of Electrical Engineering, Iqra National University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;
mehre.munir@inu.edu.pk (M.E.M.); sohail.imran@inu.edu.pk (S.I.S.)
7 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Gomal University,
Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan; javediqbal.iet@gu.edu.pk
8 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Nibog Tebal 14300, Malaysia
9 Faculty of Aviation Sciences, Amman Arab University, Amman 11953, Jordan; esraa_ali@aau.edu.jo
10 Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid,
Leganés, 28911 Madrid, Spain; mohammad.alibakhshikenari@uc3m.es
11 School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
SE 100-44 Stockholm, Sweden
* Correspondence: iam.kiani91@gmail.com (S.H.K.); mardal@kth.se (M.D.)
Abstract: This paper presents an S-shape four-port Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) wide-
band mmWave antenna with bandwidth of 25 GHz to 39 GHz. The antenna is designed on 0.254 mm
ultra-thin RO5880 with permittivity of 2.3. The dimensions of proposed S-shape antenna are
10 × 12 mm for single element and 24 × 24 mm for four-port MIMO configuration. A decoupling
network is introduced to further compress mutual coupling among MIMO elements. The peak gain
achieved is 7.1 dBi and MIMO assembly delivers diversity scheme. The proposed MIMO antenna is
fabricated, and simulated results are found to be in excellent agreement with simulations. Through
the results obtained, the proposed MIMO antenna system can be considered as a potential candidate
for future mmWave devices.
Keywords: mmWave; four port; MIMO; gain; ECC diversity
1. Introduction
The new era of communication technology has enabled 5th Generation (5G)-driven
systems that allow for high-speed data rates with enhanced bandwidth and low latencies.
Compared to its predecessor, 4th Generation (4G) systems framework, 5G technology
standards offer higher data rates of up to 1 Giga bit/s. Furthermore, 5G systems can be
divided into two categories, namely, Sub GHz and mmWave regions, where mmWave is
more promising for high-data-rate transmission and to support future cellular devices.
The mmWave band of 5G offers a starting frequency of 24 GHz and above, offering much
potential. Within the mmWave band, antenna designers have created novel shapes and
assemblies. In addition, 28 GHz, 33 GHz and 37 GHz are the bands in mmWave which have
drawn antenna designers’ attention and have been introduced with these novel shapes and
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 2 of 12

assemblies [1,2]. MIMO antennas have given a new direction to wireless communication
and have become very attractive for 5G applications [3,4]. A MIMO Antenna offers pattern
and spatial diversity characteristics, hence enabling better signal reception and data trans-
mission. Designing a compact 5G MIMO antenna is still a challenging task in the current
scenario, since accommodating a higher number of antenna elements together gives rise
to coupling effects, which affect antenna performance characteristics. As today’s cellular
providers attempt to deliver high-quality, low-latency video and multimedia applications
for wireless devices, they are limited to a carrier frequency spectrum ranging between
700 MHz and 2.6 GHz [5].
In open literature, a lot of MIMO antennas have been proposed in the mmWave
spectrum, targeting different licensed and unlicensed frequencies [6–12]. In [6], a Substrate-
Integrated Waveguide (SIW) antenna is presented, covering a frequency from 57 to 71 GHz
for mmWave 5G and short-range radar applications. Although the presented antenna is
well-designed, with small size of 28 × 28 mm, the compact design is difficult to manufacture
due to multilayer assembly and bonding films. Planar antennas are simple and easy to
design compared to SIW antenna systems. In [7], a simple planar infinity shell-shape
antenna is presented in four-port MIMO configuration; the proposed antenna delivers a
bandwidth of 8 GHz, approximately. Similarly, in [8], a nature-inspired four-port MIMO
antenna is presented with a bandwidth ranging to 7 GHz with central frequency of 28 GHz.
The size of the antenna is 30 × 30 mm, and it provides pattern and spatial diversity
characteristics. In [9], a tree-shaped four-port MIMO antenna is presented. The antenna
provides wideband characteristics of 23–40 GHz while providing peak isolation of 22 dB.
The size of the proposed MIMO antenna is 80 × 80 mm, which is large enough to be
embedded in mmWave circuits. A four-port Dielectric Resonator Antenna (DRA) in [10]
provides the bandwidth of 2.23 GHz, ranging from 26.7 to 28.1 GHz. The size of the
antenna is 20 × 40 mm and antenna isolation has been improved up to a peak value
of 22 dB by inserting metamaterial, but introducing metamaterial overall increased the
complexity of antenna systems. In [11], an E-Shape H slotted dual-band four-port MIMO
antenna is reported. The antenna offers good compact dimensions of 24 × 24 mm but
the reported bandwidth is too low. In [12], a four-port MIMO antenna system is reported
providing bandwidth characteristics of 36.83–40.0 GHz. The antenna is simple in structure
but provides low bandwidth.
Therefore, this work was intended to design an MIMO antenna that is small in size,
covers a wide bandwidth and offers high isolation characteristics throughout the desired
resonance bandwidth. The proposed antenna is simple in shape and provides wideband
characteristics of almost 15 GHz, with a better isolation value of −26 dB. The isolation level
has been improved by inserting a line resonator.
This paper’s layout is as follows: Section 1 covers the literature on MIMO antenna
systems presented in open literature. Section 2 covers the antenna’s design characteristics
step-by-step and its MIMO configuration. Section 3 discusses the results obtained from the
fabricated prototype with simulated results. Concluding remarks are given at the end.

2. Antenna Design
2.1. Single Element
The proposed antenna is designed based on an ultra-thin 0.254 mm RO5880 sub-
strate with relative permittivity of 2.3. The antenna has an overall length and width of
12 × 10 mm. The antenna comprises three strips closely connected to each other with
0.35 mm strips at top-right and bottom-left sides. Figure 1 shows the proposed S-shape
antenna design, front and back, in detail. The ground plane consists of a square-shape slot
incorporated at the top-middle side. Figure 2 explains the evolution of design through
three different steps. To attain the anticipated resonance, the proposed single-monopole
antenna element is attained with insertion of stubs. These stubs are then parametrically
optimized for achieving optimum response.
 Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 3 of 13

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 different steps. To attain the anticipated resonance, the proposed single-monopole an- 3 of 12
tenna element is attained with insertion of stubs. These stubs are then parametrically op-
timized for achieving optimum response.

(a)

(a)

(b)
(b)
Figure 1. Proposed Antenna (a) Front (b) Back.
Figure 1. Proposed
Figure 1. Proposed Antenna
Antenna (a)
(a) Front
Front(b)
(b)Back.
Back.

Figure 2. Design Evolution of the proposed Antenna.

Figure 2.
Figure 2. Design
Design Evolution
Evolution of
of the
the proposed
proposedAntenna.
Antenna.

In stage 1, a simple l-shape resonator was introduced that showed the resonance
response from 36 to 42 GHz with central frequency of 39 GHz. This was further modified
with the insertion of an inverted L-shape stub on the right hand side of the l-shape strip.
The stub enhanced the bandwidth response to dual-band characteristics, which in stage 3
was modified to a wide bandwidth with the insertion of L-shape stub on left side of the
resonating structure.
The proposed MIMO antenna has been evolved in number of parametric steps.
Parametrical studies are conducted to see the antenna’s resonance response by altering
different paths of currents. Figure 3 shows the wideband response achieved through
 Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 4 of 13

In stage 1, a simple l-shape resonator was introduced that showed the resonance re-
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 4 of 12
sponse from 36 to 42 GHz with central frequency of 39 GHz. This was further modified
with the insertion of an inverted L-shape stub on the right hand side of the l-shape strip.
The stub enhanced the bandwidth response to dual-band characteristics, which in stage 3
was modified to a wide bandwidth with the insertion of L-shape stub on left side of the
different parametrical
resonating structure.studies conducted. The parameters optimized were Z, Y, K and XX.
At the start,
Theparameter
proposed MIMO Z was parametrically
antenna has been evolved optimized.
in number ofThe starting
parametric value
steps. Par- was kept at
2 mmametrical
and was studies are conducted
analyzed up to 4tomm. see the antenna’s
Five resonance
different valuesresponse by range
in this altering were
dif- analyzed,
ferent a
each with paths of currents.
difference ofFigure
0.5 mm.3 shows the wideband
It was observed response
that achieved
with every through differ-
increment in value,
ent parametrical studies conducted. The parameters optimized were Z, Y, K and XX. At
the design response changed rapidly. It was observed that the resonance
the start, parameter Z was parametrically optimized. The starting value was kept at 2 mm
value increases
with every
and was increment
analyzed up in to
parameter
4 mm. FiveZ. At 2 mm,
different valuesa resonance
in this rangeof nearly
were 7 GHz
analyzed, eachwas achieved
from 31 to 38 GHz. At 2.5 mm, the resonance starts at 27 GHz and ends at 38 GHz, giving
with a difference of 0.5 mm. It was observed that with every increment in value, the design
response changed11
an approximately rapidly.
GHz Itbandwidth.
was observed thatThe theoptimal
resonanceresponse
value increases
waswith every
achieved at 3 mm,
increment in parameter Z. At 2 mm, a resonance of nearly 7 GHz was achieved from 31 to
from 25 to 39 GHz. After this optimum value, any further increase resulted in effecting
38 GHz. At 2.5 mm, the resonance starts at 27 GHz and ends at 38 GHz, giving an approx-
the resonance
imately 11response.
GHz bandwidth. FromThe Figure
optimal3a,response
it can bewasseen that at
achieved the resonances
3 mm, from 25 tobecome
39 abrupt.
Similarly,
GHz.in Figure
After 3b, parameter
this optimum value, anyY, further
whichincrease
is feedresulted
length,inwas analyzed
effecting with five samples
the resonance
response.
from 6.25 Frommm.
to 7.25 FigureThe3a, itoptimum
can be seen that the resonances
response become abrupt.
was achieved Similarly,
at 6.25 mm. inWith further
Figurein3b,length,
increases parameter theY, resonance
which is feed response
length, was analyzed
shifted with five samplesThe
backwards. fromK6.25parameter in
to 7.25 mm. The optimum response was achieved at 6.25 mm. With further increases in
Figurelength,
3c showed the optimal response at 3.5 mm. Any further increases and decreases
the resonance response shifted backwards. The K parameter in Figure 3c showed
showed the that
optimal although
response at the3.5resonance
mm. Any furtherbandwidth
increases remains
and decreases uncertain,
showed that thealt-
reflection co-
efficient value
hough becomesbandwidth
the resonance abrupt. remains
The trunked
uncertain,ground-plane square slot
the reflection co-efficient valuewasbe- optimized
comes
from 1.3 abrupt.
to 1.7 mm. TheThetrunked
length ground-plane
and width square slotsquare
of the was optimized
slot wasfrom 1.3 to
kept 1.7 mm.
same, and Figure 3d
The length and width of the square slot was kept same, and Figure 3d shows resonance
shows resonance behavior with antenna parameter XX. Figure 4 shows the single-element
behavior with antenna parameter XX. Figure 4 shows the single-element radiation pat-
radiation
terns patterns
and gain over and gain over
frequency. frequency.
The gain The gain
ranges between 3.9 andranges betweenranges
5.2 and efficiency 3.9 and 5.2 and
efficiency
betweenranges
85 andbetween
98%. 85 and 98%.

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 5 of 13

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure
Figure 3.
3. Parametric
Parametric Studies
Studies conducted
conducted (a)
(a) Z
Z (b)
(b) Y
Y (c)
(c) K
K (d)
(d) XX.
XX.
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 (c) (d) 5 of 12

Figure 3. Parametric Studies conducted (a) Z (b) Y (c) K (d) XX.

(a) (b)
Figure 4. Single-Element Performance Parameters (a) Radiation Patterns (b) Gain and Efficiency.
Figure 4. Single-Element Performance Parameters (a) Radiation Patterns (b) Gain and Efficiency.
2.2.
2.2. MIMOAntenna
MIMO Antenna Configuration
Configuration
TheS-shape
The S-shape antenna
antenna waswasextended
extended toto
four-element
four-elementMIMO configuration.
MIMO The total
configuration. The total
size of the antenna was kept at 24 mm × 24 mm. The MIMO antennas are arranged orthog-
size of the antenna was kept at 24 mm × 24 mm. The MIMO antennas are arranged
onal to each other. Additionally, as in MIMO antennas, the isolation values play vital role.
orthogonal to each other. Additionally, as in MIMO antennas, the isolation values play
Therefore, in order to enhance isolation and decrease the mutual coupling among
vital role. elements, an isolating structure is introduced in between four radiating ele-
radiating
Therefore,
ments. in order
The proposed to enhance
isolating isolation
structure consistsand
of adecrease the small
tilted square mutual coupling
patch with ex-among
radiating elements,
tended arms at eachanside.
isolating
Figurestructure is introduced
5 shows the MIMO antenna in between fourisolating
design with radiating elements.
struc-
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 6 of 13
The proposed isolating structure consists of a tilted square small patch with extended
ture. arms
at each side. Figure 5 shows the MIMO antenna design with isolating structure.

(a) (b)
Figure 5. MIMO Antenna (a) Front (b) Back
Figure 5. MIMO Antenna (a) Front (b) Back.

3. 3.Experimental
ExperimentalResults
Results
The
The proposed
proposed MIMO
MIMO antenna
antenna waswas fabricated
fabricated using
using a Leiterplatten-Kopierfrasen,
a Leiterplatten-Kopierfrasen, LPFK,
LPFK, machine, and was tested in anechoic chamber. Due
machine, and was tested in anechoic chamber. Due to symmetricity to symmetricity of the design,
of the design, only one
only
side of one side of theantenna
the proposed proposedis antenna is tested.
tested. Figure Figurethe
6 shows 6 shows the proposed
proposed antenna
antenna structure’s
structure’s copper layer with 2.4 mm end launch connectors. The antenna has been set
with a scale to show the physical length of the proposed prototype.
 (a) (b)
Figure 5. MIMO Antenna (a) Front (b) Back

3. Experimental Results
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 6 of 12
The proposed MIMO antenna was fabricated using a Leiterplatten-Kopierfrasen,
LPFK, machine, and was tested in anechoic chamber. Due to symmetricity of the design,
only one side of the proposed antenna is tested. Figure 6 shows the proposed antenna
copper layercopper
structure’s with 2.4layer
mm with
end launch
2.4 mmconnectors.
end launchThe antenna has
connectors. been
The set with
antenna hasa been
scale set
to
show the physical length of the proposed prototype.
with a scale to show the physical length of the proposed prototype.

Figure6.6.Fabricated
Figure FabricatedPrototype.
Prototype.

Figure77shows
Figure showsthe
theisolation
isolationofofthe
theproposed
proposedantenna
antennawith
withand
andwithout
withoutthe theisolating
isolating
structure. It can
structure. can clearly
clearlybebeseen
seenthat
thatwith
withthe
theinsertion of of
insertion a line resonator
a line resonatorat the center,
at the the
center,
the resonator
resonator actsacts
as aas a decoupling
decoupling structure
structure for MIMO
for MIMO antennas
antennas as theasline
theresonator
line resonator
effec-
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 effectively cancels
tively cancels the constructive
the constructive interference
interference of currents
of currents among radiating
among radiating 7 of 13 elements,
elements, and thus
and thus the isolation
the isolation levels arelevels are improved.
improved.

(a)

(b)
Figure 7. Surface Current Distribution (a) Without Isolating Structure (b) With Isolating Structure.
Figure 7. Surface Current Distribution (a) Without Isolating Structure (b) With Isolating Structure.
Furthermore, the simulated and measured S-parameters are show, in Figure 8. The
reflection co-efficient in Figure 8a shows the resonance from 22 to 40 GHz, while the iso-
lation value of antenna 1 and antenna 3 is found to be in between −15 dB and −19 dB
without the presence of decoupling structure. The lowest isolation without decoupling
structure is found to be −19 dB at 29 GHz frequency. As with the insertion of decoupling
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 7 of 12

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280
Furthermore, the simulated and measured S-parameters are show, in Figure 8. The re-
flection co-efficient in Figure 8a shows the resonance from 22 to 40 GHz, while the isolation
value of antenna 1 and antenna 3 is found to be in between −15 dB and −19 dB without
the presence of decoupling structure. The lowest isolation without decoupling structure is
found to be −19 dB at 29 GHz frequency. As with the insertion of decoupling structure,
the isolation value improved from −22 dB to −27 dB. The isolation value with decoupling
structure showed improvement up to 5 dB for antenna 1 and antenna 3. The isolation
value between adjacent radiating elements, antenna 1 and antenna 2 was also improved.
The measured results achieved after measurements are shown to be in excellent agreement8 of 13
8 of 13
with the simulations. A few minor alterations can be seen but can be attributed to errors
during measurement set up.

(a)
(a) (b)(b)
Figure 8. Simulated and Measured S-Parameters. (a) Return loss (b) Ports Isolation.
Figure 8. Simulated and Measured S-Parameters. (a) Return loss (b) Ports Isolation.

Figure 99 shows
Figure shows the
the antenna
antennaefficiency
efficiencyand andsimulated
simulated and measured
and measured gain of the
gain pro-pro-
of the
the
simulated and measured gain of pro-
posed
posed MIMO system. The efficiency of the MIMO antenna ranges in between 85% and94%,
posed MIMO
MIMOsystem.
system.The
Theefficiency
efficiencyofofthethe
MIMO
MIMO antenna ranges
antenna in between
ranges in between85% 85%
and and
94%, at
while while at 28 GHz,
28 GHz, the efficiency is found to be almost 92 to for
92.5%
all for all radiating
94%, while at 28 the efficiency
GHz, is found
the efficiency istofound
be almost
to be92 to 92.5%
almost 92 to 92.5%radiating elements.
for all radiating
elements. The range of the antenna gain is found to be 5.9 to 7 dB.
The range The
elements. of the antenna
range of thegain is found
antenna gaintoisbe 5.9 toto7 be
found dB.5.9 to 7 dB.

Figure 9. Efficiency and Gain of the MIMO Antenna.

9. Efficiency
FigureThe radiationand Gain of
patterns the in
both MIMO Antenna.
the 2D and 3D plane are shown in Figure 10. The pat-
terns of antenna 1 and antenna 2 are shown and discussed. The 28 GHz frequency patterns
The radiation
are shown patterns
at Phi = 90, Phi = 0both
and in the =2D
Theta 90and 3DAs
Plane. plane
seenare
fromshown in Figure
the figure, 10. The pat-
the proposed
terns
antenna system shows pattern and spatial diversity characteristics. The 3D patterns patterns
of antenna 1 and antenna 2 are shown and discussed. The 28 GHz frequency at 28
are
GHzshown at Phi
are also = 90,inPhi
shown = 0 and
Figure Theta
10. The gain= 90 Plane.
ranges As6.4
from seen
to from
7.1 dBthe
forfigure,
all fourthe proposed
radiating
antenna
elements.system shows pattern and spatial diversity characteristics. The 3D patterns at 28
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 8 of 12

The radiation patterns both in the 2D and 3D plane are shown in Figure 10. The pat-
terns of antenna 1 and antenna 2 are shown and discussed. The 28 GHz frequency patterns
are shown at Phi = 90, Phi = 0 and Theta = 90 Plane. As seen from the figure, the pro-
posed antenna system shows pattern and spatial diversity characteristics. The 3D patterns
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 at 28 GHz are also shown in Figure 10. The gain ranges from 6.4 to 7.1 dB
9 of 13 for all four

radiating elements.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

(e) (f)

Figure 10. Cont.

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 9 of 12
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 10 of 13

(g) (h)

(i) (j)
Figure 10. Radiation Patterns (a) 2D antenna 1 and antenna 2 Phi90 (b) 2D antenna 3 and antenna 4
10. Radiation
FigurePhi90 Patterns
(c) 2D antenna (a) 2D2antenna
1 and antenna 1 and
Theta 90 (d) antenna
2D antenna 3 and2 Phi90
antenna(b) 2D antenna
4 Theta90 3 and antenna
(e) 2D an-
4 Phi90tenna 1 and
(c) 2D antenna 12 and
antenna Phi0 (f) 2D antenna
antenna 3 and 90
2 Theta antenna 4 Phi0
(d) 2D (g) 3D antenna
antenna 1 (h) 3D antenna
3 and antenna 2
4 Theta90 (e) 2D an-
(i) 3D antenna 3 (j) 3D antenna 4.
tenna 1 and antenna 2 Phi0 (f) 2D antenna 3 and antenna 4 Phi0 (g) 3D antenna 1 (h) 3D antenna 2
(i) 3D antenna 3 (j) 3D antenna 4.
MIMO Parameters
MMO parameters are important to discuss while designing an MIMO antenna sys-
MIMOtem.
Parameters
These MIMO parameters include Envelope Correlation co-efficient (ECC) and Mean
MMO parameters
Effective Gain (MEG). are
ECCimportant
is the measure toofdiscuss
how wellwhile designing
the antennas an MIMO
are isolated. Rangingantenna sys-
from 0 MIMO
tem. These to 1, an ECC of less than include
parameters 0.5 showsEnvelope
that antennas are well-isolated.
Correlation Figure 11 shows
co-efficient (ECC) and Mean
the ECC of the proposed MIMO system. The ECC obtained has been calculated using far-
Effective Gain (MEG). ECC is the measure of how well the antennas are isolated. Ranging
field results from the MIMO system. The equations used for calculating ECC and MEG
from 0have
to 1,been
an derived
ECC offromless[13–15].
than 0.5 Fromshows thatitantennas
the figure, can clearlyare well-isolated.
be seen Figure
that the ECC of the 11 shows
the ECC of the
proposed proposed
MIMO system isMIMO
less thansystem. The ECC
<0.01 throughout obtained
the band has been calculated using
of interest.
far-field results from the MIMO system. The equations used for calculating ECC and MEG
have been derived from [13–15]. From the figure, it can clearly be seen that the ECC of the
proposed MIMO system is less than <0.01 throughout the band of interest.
Appl.Sci.
Appl. Sci.2022, 12,4280
2022,12, 4280 1110ofof13
12

Figure
Figure11.
11.ECC
ECCderived.
derived.

Themean
The meaneffective
effective gain
gain(MEG)
(MEG)isisan
anability
abilityof
ofan
anantenna
antennain
inaamultipath
multipathenvironment
environment
to receive electromagnetic power. The MEG of the proposed MIMO antenna isis given
to receive electromagnetic power. The MEG of the proposed MIMO antenna given in
in
Table 1. Through Table 1, the MEG of the proposed antenna system satisfies
Table 1. Through Table 1, the MEG of the proposed antenna system satisfies the MIMO the MIMO
performance, exhibiting
performance, exhibiting good
good channel
channel characteristics.
characteristics.

Table 1.
Table Mean Effective
1. Mean Effective Gain
Gain of
of the
the proposed
proposed Antenna at 28 and 29 GHz Frequency.
Frequency.

Frequency (GHz)
Frequency (GHz) MEG1MEG1 MEG2MEG2 MEG3
MEG3 MEG4
MEG4
28 28 −3.50 −3.50 −3.21−3.21 −3.26
−3.26 −3.10
−3.10
29 29 −2.99 −2.99 −3.06−3.06 −3.61
−3.61 −3.11
−3.11

Table
Table 22 shows
showsa acomparison
comparison of of
thethe proposed
proposed MIMOMIMO antenna
antenna with
with the the proposed
proposed MIMO
MIMO antenna system. The authors in [16–18] also present folk-shape structures,
antenna system. The authors in [16–18] also present folk-shape structures, however, none how-of
ever, none of them resonate at the mmwave region and cover UWB characteristics
them resonate at the mmwave region and cover UWB characteristics from 3 to 12 GHz. from 3
to 12 GHz. Additionally, one study [16] shows some notching features. From
Additionally, one study [16] shows some notching features. From the comparison table, the compar-
ison table,
it can it can
be seen beour
that seen that ourMIMO
proposed proposed MIMO
system system is
is compact in compact in sizeto
size compared compared to
those in the
those in the published literature, and offers good performance
published literature, and offers good performance MIMO characteristics. MIMO characteristics.

Table
Table 2.
2. Proposed
Proposed Four-Element
Four-Element MIMO
MIMO Antenna
Antenna comparison
comparison with
with published
published literature.
literature.
Single
Single Array Isolation Efficiency
Refs. Ant.
Ant. Elements Element Array Bandwidth Isolation Efficiency ECC
Refs. Element (mm(mm
2) 2) Bandwidth (dB) (%) (%) ECC
Elements (mm (dB)
(mm2)2 )
[7]
[7] 44 1212××1010 30 × 30
30× 30 27–30 27–30 28 28 84 84 <0.1
<0.1
[8] 4 12 × 10 30 × 30 26–30 24 82 <0.2
[8] 4 12 × 10 30 × 30 26–30 24 82 <0.2
[9] 4 20 × 20 80 × 80 23–40 26 85 <0.01
[9] 4 20 × 20 80 × 80 23–40 26 85 <0.01
[12] 4 15 × 10 20 × 20 27.5–28.5/37.5–38.5 24 80 <0.1
[12] 4 15 × 10 20 × 20 27.5–28.5/37.5–38.5 24 80 <0.1
[16] 1 12 × 18 N/A 3–12 N/A N/A N/A
[16]
[17] 11 4212××2418 N/AN/A 3–12 3–12 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
N/A
[17]
[18] 21 42 × 24
N/A N/A
35 × 52 3.28–12 3–12 20 N/A N/A N/A N/A
N/A
Proposed
[18] 42 10 N/A
× 12 24 × 35
24× 52 24–39 3.28–12 26 20 92 N/A <0.05
N/A
Proposed 4 10 × 12 24 × 24 24–39 26 92 <0.05
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 4280 11 of 12

4. Conclusions
This paper presented a novel, wideband, S-shape MIMO antenna with enhance isola-
tion characteristics. The four-element MIMO antenna system showed isolation of −15 dB,
which with the help of an isolator, was improved to −26 dB. The antenna is designed
on 0.254 mm ultra-thin RO5880 substrate with relative permittivity of 2.3. The proposed
antenna had compact dimensions of 24 × 24 mm and the peak gain achieved was 7 dB,
with bandwidth ranging between 25 and 40 GHz. The ECC value among any two radiating
elements is less than 0.05, and efficiency is above 85% throughout the whole operating band-
width. The fabricated prototype showed excellent agreement with simulations. Through
valid measurement results, the proposed antenna is a suitable candidate for future mobile
phones covering mmwave band and 5G high-data-rate devices.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, A.G.A.H., M.A.K. and S.H.K.; methodology, M.A.K.,

A.G.A.H., E.M.A., M.A. and M.D.; software, M.E.M. and S.H.K.; validation, S.I.S., M.A.K. and A.N.N.;
formal analysis, E.M.A., M.A. and M.D.; investigation, E.M.A., M.A. and M.D.; resources, A.N.N.
and S.I.S.; data curation, S.H.K. and M.E.M.; writing—original draft preparation, M.A.K. and S.H.K.;
writing—review and editing, S.H.K., J.I., M.A. and M.D.; visualization, J.I., M.A. and M.D.; supervi-
sion, A.N.N. and J.I.; project administration, S.H.K., M.A. and M.D.; funding acquisition, S.I.S., M.A.
and M.D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This project has received funding from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the European
Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Grant 801538.
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: All data have been included in the study.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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