Planar beam-forming antenna array for 60-GHz broadband communication

The 60-GHz frequency band can be employed to realise the next-generation wireless high-speed communication that is capable of handling data rates of multiple gigabits per second. To obtain the link-budget that is required for wireless gigabit-per-second communication, antenna arrays are needed that have sufficient gain and that support beam-forming. This requires the realisation of antenna arrays that maintain a high radiation efficiency while operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. Moreover, the antenna array and the RF front-end should be integrated into a single low-cost package that can be realised in a standard production process. In this work, an antenna solution is presented that meets these requirements.