Pixel Antenna Design for mm-Wave Wireless Communications to Achieve Wide Scanning

In this paper, we illustrate the feasibility of achieving extensive scan capabilities through the integration of a pixel antenna into a radiating matrix, designed for millimeter-wave communications. The antenna element is a combination of a capacitively coupled patch antenna and a partially reflective surface, that operates in the frequency range between 27 GHz and 29 GHz. With the integration of a linear matrix, we can achieve a scan range from <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-74∘</tex> to <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">+74∘</tex> . In an 8 <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">× 8</tex> matrix, the scan range extends from <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-63∘</tex> to <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">+63∘</tex> in the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">φ=0∘</tex> -plane and from <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-57∘</tex> to <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">+57∘</tex> in the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">φ=90∘</tex> -plane, with only a 3 dB scan loss. The planar matrix is arranged in a triangular grid, which significantly reduces mutual coupling with adjacent elements when compared to the regular grid.