High Performance Millimeter Wave Antennas and Beamforming for Communications and Imaging Applications

工作在6 GHz以下的现有无线技术最近提供了使用创新技术的数据密集型系统，包括认知无线电和多天线系统。然而，这些技术不足以解决未来无线系统不断增加的增强数据速率需求。与此同时，毫米波(毫米波)频率是未来无线系统的关键使能解决方案之一，并在无线社区内引起了浓厚的兴趣。它们提供了带宽更宽的优势，并为无线通信提供了额外的频谱。然而，一个缺点是由于在毫米波频段的高损耗，无线电波在毫米波频段的传播特性较弱。这种挑战可以通过使用定向毫米波阵列来克服，由于波长较小，这种阵列可以容纳十倍以上的元件，并且可以提供足够的增益，以确保接收器的高信噪比，并提高毫米波网络的容量。对于成像系统和雷达应用，毫米波还提供高分辨率和高灵敏度。 拟议研究计划的主要目标是显著提高毫米波无线通信和成像系统的性能，并通过以下方式提高数据速率和容量： 用于波束扫描和多波束工程电磁结构的高增益宽带阵列收发技术的发展和进展 控制无线信道并减轻不利的毫米波高传播和欧姆损耗；以及使用受益于模拟和数字波束形成方案的智能天线混合波束形成(HBF)网络的多径衰落效应。 其目的是促进毫米波技术的最新发展，并更好地了解不同组件的特性，从而提高系统性能。建议的主要研究项目包括研究和开发毫米波高增益宽带天线元件、电路、可重新配置的天线阵列，以及覆盖多个毫米波频段的HBF，以服务于采用新兴工程电磁表面技术的下一代无线通信和成像应用。它还解决了与实施毫米波天线和HBF相关的挑战，以及如何测量、评估和改进它们的性能。此外，还将应用与拟议的HBF结构有关的信号处理技术。将执行严格的建模、测试和实施。该项目的共同主题是学习、培训和开发新兴的毫米波无线通信和成像系统的专业知识。 拟议的研究将在本科生、硕士和博士生以及PDF的培训中发挥关键作用，不仅为5G及以后的毫米波技术建立不同水平的专业知识，而且还接触无线通信和传感科学。

Existing wireless technologies operating below 6 GHz have recently offered data intensive systems using innovative techniques including cognitive radio and multiple antenna systems. However, these techniques are not sufficient to address the ever exponential increase of enhanced data rate needs for future wireless systems. In the meantime, millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies are one key enabling solution for future wireless systems and have attracted a strong interest within the wireless community. They offer the advantage of availability of much wider bandwidth and provide additional spectrum for wireless communications. However, one disadvantage is the weaker propagation characteristics of radio waves at mmWave bands due to high losses at these frequencies. Such a challenge can be overcome by using directive mmWave arrays that can house ten times more elements, due to smaller wavelength and can provide enough gain to ensure high signal to noise ratio at the receiver and boost the capacity of mmWave networks. For imaging systems and radars applications, mmWaves also offer high resolution and sensitivity. The main objective of the proposed research program is to significantly enhance mmWave wireless communication and imaging systems performance and improve both the data rate and capacity through: development and advancement of high gain broadband array transceiver technology for beam scanning and multi-beam employing engineered electromagnetic structures controlling the wireless channel and mitigating the unfavorable mmWave high propagation and ohmic losses; and multipath fading effect using smart antenna hybrid beamforming (HBF) networks that benefit from both analog and digital beamforming schemes. The aim is to advance the state of the art in mmWave technology and develop better understanding of different components' characteristics leading to improved system performance. The proposed main research thrusts include investigation and development of mmWave high gain broadband antenna elements, circuits, reconfigurable antenna arrays, and HBF that cover multiple mmWave frequency bands to serve next generation wireless communication and imaging applications employing emerging engineered electromagnetic surface technology. It also addresses challenges associated with implementation of mmWave antennas and HBF, and how their performance can be measured, assessed and improved. In addition, signal processing techniques pertinent to the proposed HBF structure will be applied. Rigorous modeling, testing, and implementation will be performed. The common theme of this program is learning, training, and developing expertise for emerging mmWave wireless communication and imaging systems. The proposed research will play a key role in training of undergrad, MSc and PhD students, and PDFs through building not only different levels of expertise in mmWave technologies for 5G and beyond, but also exposure to wireless communication and sensing science.