Cost-Effective Metasurface-Enabled Microstrip Antennas for Dual-Band mmWave Applications in 5G Networks

This paper proposes a cost-effective design approach for metasurface-enabled microstrip antennas optimized for the dual-band of mmWave 5G frequencies, specifically 26 GHz (n258) and 28 GHz (n257). The proposed antennas are based on metasurface and are manufactured using standard printed circuit board (PCB) processes on a low-cost FR-4 substrate, making them suitable for mass production at an affordable price. The dimensions of the proposed antenna are
$25\times 25\times 7.6 \ \text{mm}^{3}$
. It demonstrates a
$\vert \mathbf{S}_{11}\vert \leq-10\boldsymbol{\text{dB}}$
bandwidth of 31.9% (23.2-32.0 GHz) and offers a higher gain of 7.2 dB compared to a non-metasurface patch antenna with a gain of 5.12 dBi. The proposed antenna achieves a peak gain of 13.8 dBi and maintains a good front-to-back ratio exceeding 15 dB across the entire operating band. Moreover, the use of low-cost FR-4 substrate and PCB fabrication processes ensures cost-effectiveness, making these antennas highly suitable for cost-efficient deployment in 5G applications.