A Novel OTA Near-Field Measurement Approach Suitable for 5G mmWave Wideband Modulated Tests

Over-the-Air measurements are critical for the validation and test of active antenna arrays required to operate at mmWave frequencies. In [1] a novel over-the-air near-field measurement approach was presented that targets specifically the validation and test of 5G mmWave antenna modules. It can provide the same quantities as known from classical chamber-based far-field measurements but with a significantly reduced form factor, at lower costs, and with higher measurement speed. While in [1] the capabilities of this novel near-field method were demonstrated for antenna pattern measurements using continuous wave signals, in this paper we describe an extension of this method that enables tests with wideband modulated signals. For an exemplary antenna array we demonstrate that this novel near-field approach is capable to perform 5G EVM measurements for different beam configurations with high accuracy.