Millimeter-wave Antennas and Components for Future Mobile Broadband Networks (MILLIBAN)

未来的移动通信服务将需要极高的数据速率(超过10Gbit/S)来支持更苛刻的用户要求，包括高清晰度视频流。真正的移动宽带对电信业来说是一个重大挑战，迫切需要激进的新设计方法。毫米波(毫米波)频段(30 GHz-300 GHz)在宽可用带宽方面提供了未得到充分利用的机会，从而支持高数据吞吐量(例如，多Gbps/Tbps)以及增强的数据安全性。这与拥塞的亚6 GHz频段的频谱匮乏形成鲜明对比。近年来，毫米波技术在通信中的应用引起了人们的极大兴趣，高性能、高性价比的天线能够将其辐射能量集中到不同的方向，是成功部署设想中的毫米波移动无线网络的关键要求。最先进的毫米波天线技术无法支持这种低功率要求和大角度转向范围的连续波束引导。这对设想的毫米波移动网络的成功开发造成了重大障碍。本提案中描述的跨学科研究将解决这一主要问题。我们将在天线设计方面开发新的范例，导致模拟波束形成性能的突破。这将基于创新的使能材料技术以及最先进的微制造工艺，建立在申请者机构的遗产基础上。建议的天线设计的能力将被充分利用，通过基于毫米波的小蜂窝接入技术的优化设计和现实的试验台测量，充分利用系统吞吐量最大化，这将展示大幅提高通信系统吞吐量的机会。这项工作的结果将使英国处于这一变革性领域发展的中心。这项联合提案将两个具有互补实验基础设施和技能的全球领先的学术研究机构/中心结合在一起。重要的是，该提案涉及几个关键的行业合作伙伴，他们将帮助制定该计划，并缩短基础研究和产品开发之间的滞后，从而进一步增加影响。

Future mobile communication services will require exceptionally high data rates (over 10Gbits/s) to support more demanding user requirements, including High Definition video streaming. True mobile broadband is a major challenge for the telecommunications industry and urgently calls for radical new design approaches. The millimeter wave (mmWave) band (30GHz-300GHz), offers underexploited opportunities in terms of wide available bandwidths thus supporting high data throughput (e.g. multi-Gbps/Tbps) as well as enhanced data security. This is in sharp contrast to the dearth of spectrum in the congested sub-6GHz bands. In recent years there has been considerable interest in using mmWave technology in telecommunication applications.High performance cost-effective antennas with the ability to focus their radiated energy towards different directions are a crucial requirement for the successful deployment of envisaged mmWave mobile wireless networks. State-of-the-art mmWave antenna technology is unable to support this type of continuous beam steering with low power requirements and wide angular steering range. This imposes a major barrier to the successful development of the envisaged mmWave mobile networks. The interdisciplinary research described in this proposal will address this major problem. We will develop new paradigms in antenna design leading to breakthroughs in the analogue beamforming performance. This will be based on innovative enabling material technology along with state of the art microfabrication processes building on heritage at the applicants' institutions. The capabilities of the proposed antenna designs will be fully leveraged to maximize the system throughput with the optimized design of mmWave based small cell access techniques and realistic test-bed measurements which will demonstrate opportunities for significantly enhanced communication system throughput. The outcomes of this work would place the UK at the centre of developments in this transformative area. This joint proposal brings together two globally leading academic research institutes/centres having complementary experimental infrastructure and skills. Importantly, the proposal involves several key industrial partners who will help to shape the programme and shorten the lag between fundamental research and product development thus further increasing impact generation.