Power Combiner and Antenna Array Concepts for Millimeter Wave Applications

Abstract

The fifth generation of mobile communication poses challenges in the form of increased data volume, network scalability and efficient network operation. An important part in meeting these requirements is the use of the mm-wave frequency range, enabling the use of a wide bandwidth and therefore the desired high-data rates. However, a challenging aspect of mm-wave communication lies in the efficient generation of RF power. In fact, currently reported power amplifiers are unable to reach the required output power for commercial applications. A typical way to increase the available power is to combine the signal from multiple sources using a power combiner. Power combiners in the mm-wave frequency range have been investigated for many years, but typical problems that occur are area occupation and insertion losses that grow directly with the number of inputs....