08.03.22 -- Antenna Design Criteria And Characterization Methods

5G networks need to be designed to offer more capacity and flexibility while lowering overall systems operation expenses. This paper discusses various test solutions that can address current and future requirements for antenna verification, including conducted and over-the-air test methods.

Designing and implementing an active phased array antenna requires precise characterization of individual components and the integrated performance of the array. This application note explains test procedures and offers recommendations toward characterization of the relevant parameters for active phased array antennas and their passive subsystems, as often used in applications for mobile communication and RADAR.

This paper discusses fundamentals of beamforming technology, including signals, antennas, and current transceiver architectures. The paper includes calculation methods for radiation patterns and some simulations results, as well as real-world measurement results for small linear arrays.

Integrated RF beamforming ICs include phase and gain adjustment per path as well as amplification capabilities for the TX and RX channels. Such beamformer ICs support four or more antenna elements from one input signal. This article discusses the process of verification for these beamformer ICs for phased array antennas.

This application note describes how to measure the antenna pattern of a millimeter-wave device in the R&S®ATS1000 shielded chamber. The paper also covers the required calibration of the measurement setup and a possible near field to far field transformation when measuring larger devices.