Antenna design and integration on glass surfaces for the next generations of mobile communication (5G/6G)

The new generation of mobile communication (5G) includes frequency bands in the mm-wave spectrum, apart from the ones below 7 GHz. These new bands experience different propagation characteristics than the low-frequency ones. In particular, electromagnetic waves are more sensitive to the presence of objects and are obstructed more easily. This complicates the system design, since any obstacles, including the phone casing, can block the signal.

The new 5G-enabled mobile terminals include several mm-wave modules to be able to receive the signal from different directions. One of those modules is located right below the phone back cover, which is made of glass in high-end phones. The use of glass creates a challenging environment, especially in the mm-wave, as it significantly degrades the antenna performance. For example, the glass causes the reduction of the antenna gain and the appearance of ripples in the radiation pattern. This project aims to propose structures that can mitigate the glass effects in the mm-wave radiation and allow the propagation of the antenna radiation, which enables the communication. With the insight acquired during the stay abroad in material technologies, it will be possible to provide practical solutions for processing the designs into glass.