A 24-to-30GHz 256-Element Dual-Polarized 5G Phased Array with Fast Beam-Switching Support for >30,000 Beams

As millimeter-wave (mm-wave) 5G technology adoption expands, it faces growing technical challenges. Among these are the extension of the 28GHz band, to 24.25 to 29.5GHz (n257, n258 and n261 5G NR bands) and the demand for 5G base stations to cover large distances by using a larger number of antenna elements. While mm-wave 5G phased arrays supporting up to 256 elements have been reported [1,5-8], they suffer from two key challenges: (1) their created beams are narrow, requiring thousands of beams to cover all angles within the scan range, yet their beam tables typically support <300 beams [1], [2]; and (2) their increased power consumption may lead to severe thermal challenges, especially in situations where air-cooling cannot be used.

As millimeter-wave (mm-wave) 5G technology adoption expands, it faces growing technical challenges. Among these are the extension of the 28GHz band, to 24.25 to 29.5GHz (n257, n258 and n261 5G NR bands) and the demand for 5G base stations to cover large distances by using a larger number of antenna elements. While mm-wave 5G phased arrays supporting up to 256 elements have been reported [1,5-8], they suffer from two key challenges: (1) their created beams are narrow, requiring thousands of beams to cover all angles within the scan range, yet their beam tables typically support <300 beams [1], [2]; and (2) their increased power consumption may lead to severe thermal challenges, especially in situations where air-cooling cannot be used.