A 28 GHz 8 x 8 Gapwaveguide Phased Array Employing GaN Front-End With 60 dBm EIRP

A cost-efficient, high equivalent isotropic radiated power (60 dBm), large-bandwidth (26.5-29.5 GHz) active phased array antenna system has been designed and experimentally verified. The proposed design methodology results in a reduction of production costs by employing gallium nitride (GaN)-based radio frequency front-ends (RFFEs) with 31 dBm output power allowing a reduced number of antenna elements. A fully metallic gapwaveguide (GW) technology has been employed achieving efficient heat dissipation per aperture area of the array as well as low-loss easy-to-manufacture antenna elements. The phased array is realized by sub-arraying an 8 x 8 slot array antenna with horizontal polarization. A +/- 60 degrees analog beamforming in the E-plane is demonstrated. The presented antenna is a potential candidate for compact-size high-performance fifth-generation (5G) base station antennas with excellent temperature stability.