The Detrimental Effects Experienced by a 5G mmWave 1×4 Antenna Array when Integrated into a Smartphone

The detrimental effects experienced by a 5G mmWave antenna array (1×4) when integrated into an actual smartphone remain a challenge to the 5G mmWave antenna engineers. These effects include frequency shifting, impedance mismatching, mitigated gain/efficiency, and, worst of all, radiation pattern deformation. A small-size (26 mm x 5 mm x 1.524 mm) lx4 antenna array working across the 5G NR (new radio) bands n257/n258/n261 (24.25-29.5 GHz) was used as a study case. Two scenarios were studied, namely, without an open window on the frame, and with an open window on the frame. From the simulated results, one can see that the detrimental effect on the radiation pattern is the main concern when the smartphone frame is fully intact.