Generalized Concept and MATLAB Code for Modeling and Analyzing Wideband 90° Stub-Loaded Phase Shifters with Simulation and Experimental Verifications.

In the design of phase shifters, the modeling equations are too complicated and require some approximations to be derived correctly by hand. In response to this problem, this paper presents a generalized concept, algorithm, and MATLAB code that provide the exact modeling equations of the transmission parameters and the scattering parameters of any 90° wideband stub-loaded phase shifter. The proposed code gives the modeling equations in term of variables for any number of stubs and characteristic impedance value by utilizing the symbol-based analysis of the MATLAB code. It also illustrates the results as a function of normalized frequency relative to the center frequency fo, and can be and can be tailored to any user-defined frequency range. As a matter of comparison, a three-stub wideband 90° stub-loaded phase shifter is simulated using CST Microwave Studio and experimentally fabricated on Rogers RT5880 dielectric substrate with dimensions of 30 × 40 × 0.8 mm3. The comparison reveals the accuracy of the proposed computerized modeling with -10 dB impedance bandwidth equal to 90% (0.55fo-1.45fo), (90°∓5°) phase difference bandwidth equal to 100% (0.5fo-1.5fo), and negligible insertion loss. The novelty of this work is that the proposed code provides the exact modeling equations of the stub-loaded phase shifter for any number of stubs regardless the complexity of the mathematical derivations.

Single-Element and MIMO Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antennas with Negligible Back Radiation for 5G Mid-Band Handsets.

In this paper, single-element and MIMO microstrip antenna with two pairs of unequal slits is proposed as a circularly polarized antenna with negligible back radiation for 5G mid-band handsets. The unequal pairs of slits are engraved on the antenna patch to guarantee the presence of the circular polarization (CP). The proximity-coupled feeding technique is used to excite the proposed microstrip antenna in order to provide larger antenna -10 dB bandwidth which approaches 10.8% (3.48-3.87 GHz). A novel analysis technique is proposed in this paper that demonstrates the 3D axial ratio pattern in order to generate CP in the broadside direction without affecting the structure of the ground plane which ensures weak back radiation. The 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) is found to be equal to 4.1% extended along the range (3.58-3.73 GHz). To make the design more compatible with the 5G mid-band handsets, the 2 × 2 MIMO structure of the proposed antenna with reduced mutual coupling (less than -20 dB) is also presented in this work. The simulation and measured results are in good agreement, and both verify the CP characteristics and the weak back radiation of the proposed antenna.

A Varactor-Based Very Compact Tunable Filter with Wide Tuning Range for 4G and Sub-6 GHz 5G Communications.

A very compact microstrip reconfigurable filter for fourth-generation (4G) and sub-6 GHz fifth-generation (5G) systems using a new hybrid co-simulation method is presented in this manuscript. The basic microstrip design uses three coupled line resonators with λ/4 open-circuited stubs. The coupling coefficients between the adjacent and non-adjacent resonators are used to tune the filter at the required center frequency to cover the frequency range from 2.5 to 3.8 GHz. The coupling coefficient factors between the adjacent resonators are adjusted to control and achieve the required bandwidth, while the input and output external quality factors are adjusted to ensure maximum power transfer between the input and output ports. Two varactor diodes and biasing circuit components are selected and designed to meet the targeted performance for the tunable filter. The impedance bandwidth is maintained between 95 and 115 MHz with measured return losses of more than 17 dB and measured insertion loss of less than 1 dB. Computer simulation technology (CST) is utilized to design and optimize the presented reconfigurable filter, with hybrid co-simulation technique, using both CST microwave studio (MWS) and CST design studio (DS), is applied to build the model by considering the SPICE representation for the varactor switches and all electronic elements of the biasing circuit. The introduced reconfigurable microstrip filter is also fabricated using a Rogers RO3010 material with a relative dielectric constant of 10.1 and it is printed on a very compact size of 13 × 8 × 0.81 mm3. An excellent agreement is obtained between the simulation and measurement performance.

A Survey of Differential-Fed Microstrip Bandpass Filters: Recent Techniques and Challenges.

Differentially driven devices represent a highly promising research field for radio frequency (RF), microwave (MW), and millimeter-wave (mmWave) designers and engineers. Designs employing differential signals are essential elements in low-noise fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) communications. Apart from the conventional planar MW components, differential-fed balanced microstrip filters, as promising alternatives, have several advantages, including high common-mode rejection, low unwanted radiation levels, high noise immunity, and wideband harmonic suppression. In this paper, a comprehensive and in-depth review of the existing research on differential-fed microstrip filter designs are presented and discussed with a focus on recent advances in this research and the challenges facing the researchers. A comparison between different design techniques is presented and discussed in detail to provide the researchers with the advantages and disadvantages of each technique that could be of interest to a specific application. Challenges and future developments of balanced microstrip bandpass filters (BPFs) are also presented in this paper. Balanced filters surveyed include recent single-, dual-, tri-, and wide-band BPFs, which employ different design techniques and accomplish different performances for current and future wireless applications.

Multi-Band MIMO Antenna Design with User-Impact Investigation for 4G and 5G Mobile Terminals.

In this study, we propose a design of a multi-band slot antenna array applicable for fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) smartphones. The design is composed of double-element square-ring slot radiators fed by microstrip-line structures for easy integration with radio frequency (RF)/microwave circuitry. The slot radiators are located on the corners of the smartphone printed circuit board (PCB) with an overall dimension of 75 × 150 mm². The proposed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna is designed to meet the requirements of 4G and 5G mobile terminals with essential bandwidth for higher data rate applications. For -10 dB impedance bandwidth, each single-element of the proposed MIMO design can cover the frequency ranges of 2.5⁻2.7 GHz (long-term evolution (LTE) 2600), 3.45⁻3.8 GHz (LTE bands 42/43), and 5.00⁻5.45 GHz (LTE band 46). However, for -6 dB impedance bandwidth, the radiation elements cover the frequency ranges of 2.45⁻2.82 GHz, 3.35⁻4.00 GHz, and 4.93⁻5.73 GHz. By employing the microstrip feed lines at the four different sides of smartphone PCB, the isolation of the radiators has been enhanced and shows better than 17 dB isolation levels over all operational bands. The MIMO antenna is implemented on an FR-4 dielectric and provides good properties including S-parameters, efficiency, and radiation pattern coverage. The performance of the antenna is validated by measurements of the prototype. The simulation results for user-hand/user-head impacts and specific absorption rate (SAR) levels of the antenna are discussed, and good results are achieved. In addition, the antenna elements have the potential to be used as 8-element/dual-polarized resonators.