This letter reports the concept and development of the first optically controlled reconfigurable antenna for millimeterwave (mm-wave) applications. It is based on a slotted-waveguide antenna array and two photoconductive switches, which are used to control the slot electrical length. This novel photonics-based reconfigurable strategy enables frequency tunability and radiation pattern reconfiguration through the 28-and 38-GHz frequency bands. Numerical simulations and experimental results illustrate its applicability for mm-wave indoor applications. The measured gain is approximately 8.0 and 9.0 dBi at 28 and 38 GHz, respectively.

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This work reports the development of two high-performance waveguide-based antenna arrays for 5G cellular networks, operating in the underutilized millimetre wave (mm-wave) frequency spectrum. Two different scenarios of mm-wave communications are proposed for illustrating the applicability of the proposed arrays, which provide specific radiation patterns, namely, 12 dBi gain omnidirectional coverage in the 28 GHz band and dual-band sectorial coverage using the 28 and 38 GHz bands with gain up to 15.6 dBi. Numerical and experimental results of the array reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and gain have been shown in an excellent agreement.

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This manuscript presents a novel approach for designing wideband omnidirectional slotted-waveguide antenna arrays, which is based on trapezoidal-shaped slots with two different electrical lengths, as well as a twisted distribution of slot groups along the array longitudinal axis. The trapezoidal section is formed by gradually increasing the slot length between the waveguide interior and exterior surfaces. In this way, a smoother impedance transition between waveguide and air is provided in order to enhance the array operating bandwidth. In addition, we propose a twisting technique, responsible to improve the omnidirectional pattern, by means of reducing the gain ripple in the azimuth plane. Experimental results demonstrate 1.09 GHz bandwidth centered at 24 GHz (4.54% fractional bandwidth), gain up to 14.71 dBi over the operating bandwidth, and only 2.7 dB gain variation in the azimuth plane. The proposed antenna array and its enabling techniques present themselves as promising solutions for mm-wave application, including 5G enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) communications.

This paper report on the development and field trial of a dual-band and dual-use system based on a single photonics-based transceiver and a single radiating element, able to simultaneously carry out radar and communication functionalities. The coexistence of the two operations does not introduce any penalty on the system performance. The innovative sharing of both transceiver and antenna element allows for a reduction in terms of cost and Size Weight and Power consumption. The dual-use radar-communication system has been demonstrated in a outdoor field trial combining a radar experiment in S-band and C-band OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) communication

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This article describes the development of a tri-band resonant slotted waveguide antenna array for millimetric-waves applications. It is based on a novel structure composed by four slots with two different lengths proper distributed on the waveguide narrowest face. Experimental results have been shown in excellent agreement with numerical simulations carried out using ANSYS HFSS. The antenna provides three bands centered at approximately 29.8, 34.3 and 37.4 GHz. Its gain varies from 8 to 10 dBi.