Feeding system for antennas arrays based on MnM-transmission lines for millimeter-wave applications

• Grant number: 13/17562-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Telecommunications
• Principal Investigator: Ariana Maria da Conceicao Lacorte Caniato Serrano
• Grantee: Thiago Gomes Manso da Cunha
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/15159-2 - High performance and lowcost MnM devices for millimeter-wave applications from 30 to 110 GHz, AP.JP

Abstract

This undergraduate research project will be carried out by the Group of Microwave in the Laboratory of Microelectronics (LME) of the Department of Electronic Systems at the Polytechnic School of USP. It aims the development of a feeding network for an antenna array operating at millimeter-waves (mmW), in the spectral range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz. In these frequencies, especially at 60 GHz where the oxygen is highly absorbed, which strongly attenuates the signals to be transmitted, an antenna array becomes essential to improve the performance of the transmission/reception of wireless communication systems. The feeding network can be formed by transmission lines that carry the signal to be transmitted to each antenna with specific power and phase, determining the radiation pattern of the antenna array. The proposed feeding network is based on transmission lines developed on the MnM (metallic nanowires membrane) substrate, focus of the Jovem Pesquisador project, to which this project is associated. In this case, the size of the feeding network can be greatly reduced by the inherent slow-wave effect of the MnM substrate. The design and optimization of feeding network for antenna arrays includes the use of the modern full-wave 3D software, such as HFSS from Ansys, to perform electromagnetic (EM) simulations of the all the substrate, transmission lines and antennas. Furthermore, the circuits will also be fabricated at the laboratory verifying the need of changes in the process already established for simple transmission lines. Electrical characterization mmW will be made at the LME, as well as at the IMEP-LAHC, in France, partner of the Jovem Pesquisador project.