Tapered slot antenna array for 5G wireless communication systems

To meet the requirements of the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, a tapered slot antenna (TSA) array operating at 42 GHz fed by a compact substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) power divider is discussed. Feeding network realized by a 1-to-8 way SIW power divider is introduced to excite each TSA element with proper phase and amplitude for prospective radiation pattern. This work implemented two TSA arrays based on microstrip line-SIW transition and SIW splicing structure respectively. According to measurement results, proposed array antennas achieve impendence bandwidths of 18.96% (38.2 GHz-46.2 GHz) and 20.95% (38.2 GHz-47.0 GHz) with reflection coefficient less than -10 dB respectively, and both are practical for upcoming 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) application.