Dual-Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antenna Array for 5G Mobile Radio Base Stations

Large-scale antenna arrays operating in the millimetre-wave (mmW) regime are required for mobile radio base stations of the next generation. These arrays should support dual-polarization and cover the large available bandwidths. Two dual-polarized antenna concepts are compared to addressing these challenges. The presented dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is characterized by 3D printed resonator elements, whereas the stacked patch antenna array features a classical multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) structure. To verify the proper functioning a 2 x 2 DRA antenna array prototype around 28 GHz is built. The investigations show that both antenna designs can meet the requirements of SG mmW large-scale antenna arrays, whereby the DRA antenna approach reduces the number of PCB layers and thereby lowers manufacturing costs.