An integrative dual-polarized antenna for broadband base station applications

A +/- 45 degrees dual-polarized antenna is proposed in this paper for broadband base station applications. It consists of two crossed hollow dipoles realizing polarization diversity operation and a box-shaped reflector achieving unidirectional radiation. Due to the integration of casting, the proposed antenna has sturdy construction. Besides, it can realize broadband by a single radiator without the need for additional parasitic radiator. A prototype of the proposed antenna was fabricated and tested. Measured results show that it operates from 1.68 to 2.72 GHz (|S-11|<15 dB) with isolation higher than 31 dB. Stable radiation patterns with half-power beam widths (HPBWs) of around 70 degrees in H-plane, along with stable gain of around 8.5 dBi are obtained. A four-element array based on this antenna element is then experimentally studied. It tunes out that the array can provide a bandwidth of 48.2% from 1.7 to 2.78 GHz for both ports. The HPBWs for the array are about 63 degrees in H-plane and 15 degrees in V-plane. The gain of the antenna array ranges from 10.7 to 13.9 dBi over the entire working band. Details of the antenna design and results are presented and discussed below. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2845-2851, 2016