Title:  Antenna in Package in sub-Terahertz Bands for Sixth-Generation Wireless Communications

Committee: 

Dr. Swaminathan, Advisor

Dr. Ghalichechian, Chair

Dr. Durgin

Abstract: The objective of the proposed research is to design, fabricate, and test antenna in package in sub-THz bands suitable for 6G wireless communications. To demonstrate the antenna-in-package solutions using glass packaging, D-band patch antennas and arrays have been designed and fabricated based on polymer laminated on glass substrate. The measurement results of return loss and radiation pattern have shown reasonable properties in correlation to the simulation results. Antennas for higher frequencies will be implemented using the same technology in due course. In order to steer the beam of antenna arrays, Butler matrix feeding networks are designed for passive beamforming. The 2-D patch antenna array with Butler matrix, which requires more complicated multi-layer structures, is pending fabrication. To address the beamforming challenges of large-scale arrays at sub-THz frequencies, we have introduced the concept of hybrid active-passive beamforming. By using a combination of active and passive beamformers, this method not only accommodates relatively large active chips in scalable arrays, but also provides better coverage, uniformity, and tunability.