Dual-Band MIMO Antenna with Planar Loop Resonators for Future Handheld Devices

The compact size and limited available space in handheld devices pose constraints on antenna placement and design. This paper represents a study of a new compact MIMO antenna design schematic and essential features with sufficient parameters for future smartphone applications. A dual-row 8×8 MIMO configuration is achieved by mounting discrete-fed loop antennas on the right/left sides of the proposed design board top layer. On the same layer is the ground plane, and the proposed MIMO design radiation elements are etched as well. The presented MIMO configuration provides a dual-band function operating for sub-6 GHz mobile communication applications at 3.5 GHz and 4.8 GHz. There is a relatively small board space occupied by the designed array. Detailed analyses are conducted of the proposed design's critical characteristics. The proposed design features two configurations of beam-steerable phased arrays that have high directivity/gain due to the arranging of the loop resonator elements. Overall, the planned MIMO array is capable of achieving optimal results and meeting the demand for future 5G portable devices such as smartphones or tablets.