Multibeam Transmitarrays for 5G Antenna Systems

Michele Beccaria∗, Andrea Massaccesi∗, Paola Pirinoli∗, Linh Ho Manh†

∗ Dept. of Electronics and Telecommunications, Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy,
{michele.beccaria, andrea.massaccesi, paola.pirinoli}@polito.it
† Dept. of Aerospace Elect. and School of Elect. and Telecom.,Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
linh.homanh@hust.edu.vn

Abstract—In this paper, preliminary results on the feasibility Transmitarrays represent one of the most promising so-
of a multibeam antenna based on the use of a transmitarray lutions for the realization of high gain, low cost and high
are presented. A reduced size configuration has been properly efficiency antennas [6]. A TA can be seen as a discrete
designed and optimized, with the aim to minimize the degra-
dation of the radiation pattern introduced by the variation in version of a lens, where the curvature is simulated by a
the direction of maximum radiation. Thereafter, the numerical planar surface, divided in unit-cells with size equal or lower
analysis of the obtained antenna has been performed. than half wavelength at the working frequency. In order to
Index Terms—Multibeam antenna, Transmitarray, MIMO an- obtain the desired radiation pattern, the phase of the incident
tenna field is properly adjusted acting on one or more geometrical
parameters of each unit-cell: it can consist of several layers
I. I NTRODUCTION of elements printed on dielectric substrates [7], perforated
The next 5th Generation (5G) of communication systems is dielectric elements [8], or a combination of both techniques
expected to guarantee performances much higher than those [9]. Moreover, the distance between the feed and the TA
provided by the previous standards: they will be able to serve a surface is generally optimized to reduce the spillover and
total amount of data that will increase by roughly 1000 times, enhance the gain. Transmitarrays can be adopted in a wide
with a worst data rate of 1 Gb/s, latency below 1 ms and range of applications [6], and recently some results have also
reduced costs and energy consumption [1]. In order to satisfy been presented on their use in massive MIMO systems [10].
all these requirements [2], a notable effort in the research In this paper, the possibility to realize multibeam TAs is
and exploration of novel and revolutionary technologies is investigated. Some results on this topic have already been
needed. In particular, the need of high data rates can be published in [10]–[12]: they confirm that even locating the
satisfied increasing the available frequency bands and the different feeds on the circular focal arc, there is a degradation
spectral efficiency. The first goal can be achieved moving of the beam introduced by the variation in the direction of
towards higher frequencies (i.e. mm-waves) but also properly maximum radiation. Here, an analysis of two different types
using the unlicensed bands in the µ-wave spectrum (e.g. those of transmitarray unit-cells is carried on and possible solutions
below 6 GHz). The higher spectral efficiency can be obtained for an optimized design of a multibeam TA are presented.
with the use for base station antennas of massive Multiple- Preliminary results of their application to the design of a
Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) architectures [3], [4]. Massive square TA, with an electrical size D = 10λ0 , being λ0 the
MIMO systems are characterized by a number of base station wavelength at the design frequency f0 , are discussed.
antennas larger than the served user terminals: in this way, it
is possible to enhance the throughput capacity, keeping high
the energy efficiency, reducing the latency and increasing the II. M ULTIBEAM T RANSMITARRAY D ESIGN
communication systems robustness against possible interfer- A multibeam Transmitarray consists in a planar surface, able
ences. to transform the incident field in a desired radiation pattern,
The enabling technology for the realization of the base and a feed-array, generating beams in different directions: they
station radiating structures of a MIMO system is represented impinge on the TA surface with different angles of incidence
by multibeam antennas, able to radiate several independent, and this affects the direction of maximum radiation of the
high gain beams covering different angular regions. A wide entire antenna. A sketch of such a configuration is depicted
overview of the existing multibeam antenna technologies that in Fig. 1. When a TA is designed, each unit-cell is adjusted
could be adopted for the design of MIMO antennas is provided to compensate the phase of the incident field for a given
in [5]: both passive and active solutions are considered, frequency and a fixed position of the feed. When this last
ranging from phased arrays to configurations based on the use is moved, a defocusing effect occurs, and the radiation pattern
of reflector and proper feed-arrays. Among the others, also of the entire antenna worsens: the main lobe becomes wider,
Transmitarrays (TAs) are considered as possible candidates for the side-lobes increase and the gain decreases. These effects
the realization of efficient multibeam antennas. are mainly related to the behaviour of the unit-cell: the phase

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(and the amplitude) of the transmission coefficient S21 changes
with the selected geometrical parameter(s) of the unit-cell, but
also with the direction of arrival of the incident wave. As
a consequence, when the incident field inpinges on the TA
surface with an angle different from that considered for the
antenna design, the unit-cells does not provide the required
phase and the radiation pattern deteriorates.

Fig. 1: Sketch of a multibeam transmitarray antenna

These considerations explain why the design of a multibeam

transmitarray is still a challenging issue: overall, it involves
the definition of both the TA planar surface and the feed-
array. Here the focus is however on the first of these two
elements and therefore the feed is simply modeled with a horn,
Fig. 2: Multi-layer Malta-cross unit-cell (inset). Variation of S21 with
whose position is changed along a circular focal arc. In fact, W for several angles of incidence. Top: phase. Bottom: amplitude.
at this preliminary stage, the aim is to analyse which is the
effect of the unit-cell on the radiation characteristics of the
whole antenna and to present possible approaches for their
provement. phase variation of 370◦ and an amplitude not worse than -1
dB. Changing the angle of incidence, the value of S21 given
by the same W varies, too: this means that when the feed is
A. The Unit-cell Analysis moved the unit-cell behaves in a different way and this could
Two different unit-cells are considered and compared to worsen the radiation features of the entire antenna.
understand how their different characteristics impact on the The second considered type of unit-cell is a dielectric
features of a multibeam transmitarray. The first one, shown structure, made up of three layers: the central one presents
in the inset of Fig. 2, consists of three overlapping dielectric a square hole, whose size W is varied to control the phase of
layers, with the same Malta-cross patch printed on each of S21 ; the two identical external layers have a truncated pyramid
them. The adopted material has a dielectric constant εr = hole, with smaller basis equal to W, and they act as matching
2.57 and a thickness h = 0.5 mm; the spacing between two circuits between the equivalent characteristic impedance of
following layers is equal to 13 mm, i.e. almost λ0 /4 at the the central layer and that of the free-space [13]. The unit-
design frequency f0 = 5.8 GHz. The unit-cell size is λ0 /2. cell has size equal to λ0 /4 and it is realized using the
In Fig. 2 the variation of the phase (top) and amplitude dielectric material Preperm L700HF, characterized by εr =
(bottom) of S21 with the width W of the Malta-cross for 7 and tanδ = 0.001. The adopted material has been selected
different angles of incidence is plotted. It is worth to notice since it can be used to manufacture the transmitarray with a 3D
that both the sets of curves are not continuous, and this is printing technique. The high value of the dielectric constant is
due to the fact that in correspondance of some values for W favourable for reducing the thickness of the TA and therefore
superior modes resonate, causing an abrupt discontinuity in the the losses it introduces: in the current case, the transmitarray
phase and a strong reduction in the amplitude of S21 : for this total thickness is 1.38λ0 .
reason, these values have to be discarted. The selected range The model of the unit-cell is shown in the inset of Fig. 3,
for W guarantees, at least for normal incidence (θ = 0◦ ), a where the variation of the phase (top) and amplitude (bottom)

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of S21 with W , computed for several angles of incidence, is a bifocal lens [14]. In fact, it is proved that such a configuration
plotted. The phase varies smoothly within a range of almost focuses quite well when the incident wave is coming from one
550◦ ; the curves corresponding to the different angles of of the two focal points or in their proximity. According to what
incidence are almost parallel, and this behaviour indicates is done in [14] for the case of a reflectarray, the procedure for
their weaker dependance from the direction of arrival of the the design of a bifocal TA can be summarized in the following
impinging wave. This has however a stronger effect on the steps:
amplitude of S21 , that for increasing values of θ presents
pronounced minima in correspondance of some size of the • Assume the feed located in an off-set position, with
square hole. the main beam forming an angle θ1 with the z−axis,
orthogonal to the TA surface and compute the required
phase distribution;
• Rotate the feed, so that it keeps the same distance from
the TA surface, but the direction of maximum radiation
now forms an angle θ2 With the z−axis, and compute
the new phase distribution;
• Since the unit-cells have just one degree of freedom,
they are not able to provide concurrently the two desired
phase distribution; for this reason, the TA is designed
so that each element produces the mean value between
the phases needed considering θ1 and θ2 as angles of
incidence.

Fig. 4: Radiation pattern of dielectric TAs of different scanning

angles. Dotted lines: bifocal design. Solid lines: conventional design.
Fig. 3: Dielectric unit-cell (inset). Variation of S21 with W for several
angles of incidence. Top: phase. Bottom: amplitude.
Here maximum scannings of -40◦ and +40◦ would be
achieved, and therefore these two angles are used as θ1 and
III. M ULTIBEAM TA O PTIMIZATION θ2 . Once the TA is designed applying the bifocal technique, its
In view of the characteristics of the unit-cells described numerical analysis is performed and the radiation patterns for
in the previous Section, two different possible techniques for different angles of pointing are computed (Fig. 4, dotted lines).
obtaining different beams just moving the postion of the feed The solid curves instead represent the radiation patterns ob-
are here considered. In both cases, the size of the planar TA tained when the TA is designed according to the conventional
surface is assumed to be 10λ0 × 10λ0 , while the ratio between procedure. The comparison between the two set of curves
the focal distance F and D is 0.9. proves that the bifocal TA has better scanning performances,
even if at the cost of a reduction of the gain and a deterioration
A. Bifocal TA Design of the main beam in the broadside direction, that corresponds
The dielectric unit-cell has shown lower dependence from to have the feed in the farest position from the two adopted
the angle of incidence, and therefore it seems to be a good focal points. In any case, the gain decreases slower and also
candidate for realizing an optimized multibeam TA acting as the side lobe level increases less.

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 The advantages of the bifocal design are improved by the The cost function is written as summation of terms that allow
features of the unit-cell; if in fact it is adopted in conjuction to control the beam direction, the side lobe levels and the beam
with the multi layer Malta-cross, the resulting radiation pat- width, and it includes numerical weights and penalty functions,
terns are worst than those plotted in Fig. 4. Therefore, for this as done in [14] and [16]. The optimization has been carried
case, another method for the TA optimization is needed. out using a population of 200 elements, while the total number
of iterations is 200. In Fig. 5, the curve of convergence for
the average minimum cost is shown.
B. MQ C10 − BBO based Optimization
In order to further improve the performances of the design
procedure of a multibeam transmitarray, another aprroach,
based on the use of a global optimization algorithm, is
investigated.
The selected optimization method is one of the modified
Biogeography Based Optimization (BBO) schemes introduced
in [15]. They are enhanced versions of the standard BBO [15],
where the linear model used for the quantities that regulate
the exchanging of features among solutions is substituted by
a quadratic or a cosine one, and a further parameter, named
cataclysm, is added to generate a new population when the
algorithm stagnates. Among the different schemes, the most
efficient turned out to be the MQ C10 -BBO, i.e. that adopting
the quadratic model and taking not less than 5 × 10 iterations
between two following cataclysms [15], [16].

Fig. 6: Optimized radiation patterns (E-plane) for θ = 0◦ , θ = −30◦

and related masks
Fig. 5: Curve of convergence ofr the MQ C10 -BBO when applied
to the optimization of the multi-layer Malta-cross transmitarray.
In Fig. 6 the radiation patterns obtained by the optimizer for
scanning angles equal to θ = 0◦ and θ = −30◦ are plotted,
The MQ C10 -BBO scheme has been applied to optimize together with the corresponding masks. In both cases they are
the radiation pattern of the multibeam transmitarray made up well satisfied, proving the possibility to improve the design of
of 20 × 20 multi-layer Malta-cross patches. The phase of the a multibeam TA using a proper optimization technique.
radiated field of each array element is assumed to be a variable
in the optimization process. Considering that the structure is
IV. C ONCLUSION
symmetrical in both the x and y directions, the total number
of the variables is equal to 100 (10 × 10). To optimize the In this paper, the feasibility of multibeam Transmitarray
radiation patterns, a set of shaped masks have been defined for Antennas is proved. It is worth to note that the first method
some angles in the considered range: θ = −40◦ , θ = −30◦ , exploited here is useful and simple but it does not work
θ = −20◦ , θ = −10◦ and θ = 0◦ for the E-plane and θ = 0◦ well for all the structures. When a more complex unit cell
for the H-plane. The aim of the optimizer is to find the TA is designed (i.e. Malta-cross) an optimization algorithm has to
configuration that radiates a pattern satisfying all the masks. be used, and the results show that the MQ C10 -BBO scheme

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