A Novel Frequency Selective Antenna for mm-Wave Phased Arrays

In this paper, we present a novel frequency selective antenna based on the distributed coupled-resonator (DCR) feeding network. The main idea is to design a high performance, compact and cost-effective antenna module with filtering functionality for mm-Wave phased arrays. The DCR structure with a simple and low-profile stack-up fabrication is effectively adopted to achieve a compact modular fourth-degree filtering antenna (Filtenna) with a steep roll-off rejection and directive radiation pattern. For demonstration, a 2×2 array of the Filtenna is separately designed and fabricated with the aim of phased array antenna fed by a Quad-channel beamformer. The experimental results of the Filtenna are well-agreed with the simulations demonstrating return-loss and realized-gain of 15 dB and 8 dBi, respectively. The proposed Filtenna array is operating at 31 GHz with bandwidth of 2 GHz (15 dB return loss) and in-phase directivity of 15.6 dBi. The proposed antenna is scalable to large arrays suitable for high gain applications like automotive radar, SATCOM and 5G.