5G mmWave Dualstrate Broad Bandwidth and Wide-beamwidth Conformal Antenna for On-Body Wearable Applications

A new radio (NR) fifth generation (5G) millimeter (mm) wave dualstrate textile-based antenna operating at (36.91 - 48.92 GHz) is designed and investigated for on-body wearable applications. The antenna is engraved on a 1mm denim substrate and occupies a volume of
$10\times 10\times 5\text{mm}3$
. The main radiator designed on the lower dualstrate is resonant at 40GHz, whereas the gamma-shaped radiator printed on the upper dualstrate along with four vias broadens the 3 dB beamwidth from 49.5° to 149.8°, as well as increases the -10 dB impedance bandwidth by 11.75%. The realization of the dualstrate antenna is investigated in both free space as well as on a flat equivalent human phantom. Finally, a bending analysis confirms the flexibility of the antenna, which retains its performance along the curvature of the human body.