Multilayer Vivaldi antenna for 60 GHz applications

Future short range communications will provide high speed data links between portable and stationary devices. Spatial limitations require a high integration level of the whole communication system. Compared to integrated analog and digital circuits, antenna systems, especially antenna arrays with beam forming or beam steering capabilities, usually waste a lot of space inside the devices. Ultra wide band communications in the mm-wave and sub-mm-wave range offer the possibility to integrate antennas inside the chip package or directly on-chip. This paper introduces a very compact novel array concept for ultra wide band antenna systems based on planar stacked Vivaldi structures. It is applicable to system-in-package (SiP), or in a slightly modified version, directly to system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. Following the trends in the consumer market, a center frequency of 60 GHz was chosen to demonstrate the antenna performance.