A Close Proximity 2-Element MIMO Antenna Using Optically Transparent Wired-Metal Mesh and Polyethylene Terephthalate Material

Abstract

An optically transparent MIMO antenna with close proximity two-element square patch antenna elements has been presented here to achieve forthcoming requirements of compactness, optical transparency and visual aesthetic for 5G wireless communication and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. A simple, thin optically transparent and more innovative decoupling structure with easier to design closely spaced transparent MIMO antenna configuration is proposed, optimized, and analyzed to achieve higher isolation and diversity gain performance even with close proximity of patch antenna elements. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material, a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family, is used as a substrate to achieve optical transparency. The wired metal mesh parameters are considered to achieve the required optical transparency, isolation and radiation performance for the MIMO antenna. The performance of the proposed MIMO antenna is also verified through the fabricated prototype.INDEX TERMS Proximity elements, MIMO antenna, transparent antenna, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), wired metal mesh.