Compact Multi-Wideband Array for Millimeter-Wave Communications Using Squint Beams

Abstract

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) cellular systems leverage the hybrid analog-digital structure to balance the costs and the capacity performance by using fewer Radio Frequency (RF) chains and the spatial sparsity of the channel. Besides, a more broadband system is the natural outgrowth of the gigantic frequency resource in mmWave band. However, it becomes precarious when the hybrid structure is extended to the wideband systems as the wideband phase shifters are used in the array. In this article, a multi-wideband planar array structure using the concept of Sierpinski carpet fractal is proposed, which exploits the beam squinting property instead of forming several independent beams through an existing hybrid structure. Moreover, multi-subarray can form a larger antenna array without additional costs of phase shifters for the wider range of values. First, we derive several properties of the steering beams from a wideband linear array. Then, we exploit the beam squinting property of the planar arrays employing wideband ideal phase shifters to form multi-beam. The functionality of the phase shifters in an array is simplified by a set of wideband cells connected in series. The maximum cell number needed in the array is derived, and during this derivation, we find a flaw of the beam squinting method. Finally, we present numerical results on the performance of the proposed arrays with the proposed algorithm, based on a cellular scenario of one base station (BS) and multi-user, where the BS has four subarrays and each user has one subarray.

Keywords

• Millimeter-wave
• wideband antenna array
• wideband phase shifter
• beam squinting
• Sierpinski carpet