Near-Field Millimeter-Wave FMCW Radar Imaging: A Review of Algorithms and Applications

Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) near-field imaging using frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar has emerged as a pivotal technology for high-resolution applications, including security screening, non-destructive testing, and medical diagnostics. This review evaluates the performance and evolution of key imaging algorithms, categorized into spatial-domain and frequency-domain frameworks. We analyze the delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer for its real-time utility and the back-projection algorithm (BPA) for its baseline phase precision and robust adaptability to irregular scanning trajectories. To address the high computational demands of standard spatial-domain processing, we examine fast alternatives such as the range migration algorithm (RMA). The exact RMA leverages Fourier-domain operations and Stolt coordinate mapping to achieve optimal computational scaling on uniform grids while preserving diffraction-limited spatial resolutions. Concurrently, we evaluate fast spatial-domain approximations, including Fast Back-Projection (Fast-BPA), which introduces localized Taylor-series expansions to linearize near-field range paths within sub-apertures, accelerating voxel reconstruction times at a reduced computational cost. Furthermore, this study explores advanced modifications designed to overcome physical and operational constraints, such as motion-compensated matched filtering (MF) to eliminate the “stop-and-go” assumption in continuous scanning, and sparse multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configurations to mitigate aliasing in undersampled environments. Comparative analysis reveals that while spatial-domain methods (DAS/BPA) generally offer higher robustness to non-uniform aperture perturbations, frequency-domain migration pathways (RMA) maximize the computational throughput required for large-volume three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions. The findings demonstrate that achievable resolution is primarily governed by signal bandwidth and aperture synthesis, though practical performance is often limited by calibration errors and computational overhead. Collectively, these advancements validate the potential of mm-wave FMCW systems to achieve sub-millimeter 3D imaging, bridging the gap between theoretical diffraction limits and real-world indoor sensing challenges.