Scalable 3-D-Printable Antenna Array With Liquid Cooling for 28 GHz

Abstract

This paper presents a scalable and compact 3D-printed Vivaldi antenna array with liquid cooling for the frequency band from 24.0 to 29.5 GHz. The proposed design consists of an 8 × 8 antenna array with commercial beam-forming ICs on the antenna-side of the PCB for efficient PCB area utilization and that enables a high integration level. Scalable liquid cooling is integrated into the 3D-printed antenna array. The measured temperature with water cooling during operation remains below 50°C. The simulated total active reflection coefficient of the unit cell is lower than -9.6 dB for beam steering angles up to 57° from the broadside. The effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the prototypes is up to 59.7 dBm.