A Low-Profile Sixteen Elements Four Port MIMO Antenna Array for Multiband Millimeter Wave and Conformal Electronics
摘要
In this work, an ultra-thin four port MIMO antenna array operating at 24.0, 38.0, 44.43, 49.60, and 57.0 GHz in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum is designed and analysed. The antenna occupies a compact volume of 8 × 32 × 0.25 mm3 and comprises 16 radiating elements arranged laterally. A novel radiating structure, integrated with an inverted L-shaped slot in the ground plane, enables efficient multiband operation. The proposed antenna achieves high isolation (> 22 dB) between adjacent ports, the measured realized gain exceeding 4.23 dBi, and a total radiation efficiency greater than 85% across all designated frequency bands. The extremely low envelope correlation coefficient of 0.031 and a diversity gain of 9.97 dB demonstrate excellent MIMO performance in multipath-rich environments. Flexibility analysis under different bending radii (20, 50, and 70 mm) confirms the antenna’s suitability for conformal and wearable applications. Specific absorption rate (SAR) values remain within safety limits for both 1 g and 10 g tissue models across all frequencies. Link margin analysis confirms reliable communication up to 80 m at a data rate of 100 Mb/s, maintaining a link margin above 35 dB throughout. These findings make the suggested MIMO antenna a viable option for cutting-edge 5G, beyond-6G, and biomedical applications.