High gain 4-element antenna array for millimeter-wave applications

A high-gain 4-element antenna array for millimeterwave wireless communication applications is presented. A hybrid microstrip / conical horn antenna is employed as an element in the proposed array. A surface mounted horn made of very thin copper sheet is placed around a circular patch radiator to achieve a realized gain of more than 8.5 dB for the single element. The array configuration results in an additional gain enhancement of 5.7 dB over the single element. The proposed design exhibits a simulated bandwidth of 9.33% around 30 GHz. The proposed array shows remarkable radiation characteristics and stable radiation pattern over the operating band. According to these characteristics, the proposed array is suitable for high data rate millimeter-wave short distance communications and point-topoint communication.