Pattern reconfigurable antennas (beam steerable antennas) are essential for various applications in electronic engineering such as telecommunication and radar. They mitigate interference by channelling the antenna's radiation to the direction of interest. This ability is vital for millimetre wave frequency applications such as small cell backhaul links where high path loss, attenuation from obstacles, and misalignment due to wind sway and accidents are prevalent. Several techniques have been used to implement beam steering over the years, most of which achieves steering at the expense of antenna performance. In this article, we surveyed the various techniques used in achieving beam steering and analyse each based on some figures of merit with the aim of identifying areas of improvements for each beam steering technique.
2. Watson, P. A., "Propagation factors in millimetre-wave radio-system design," Electron. Power, Vol. 23, 569, July 1977.
doi:10.1049/ep.1977.0319
3., "Millimeter-Wave (MMW) Radio Transmission: Atmospheric Propagation, Link Budget and System Availability," Light Pointe White Paper Series, 2010.
4. Weibel, G. E. and H. O. Dressel, "Propagation studies in millimeter-wave link systems," Proc. IEEE, Vol. 55, No. 4, 1967.
doi:10.1109/PROC.1967.5571
5. Chen, Z., G. Gopal, and Y. Yu, Introduction to Direction-of-arrival Estimation, Artech House, Norwood, MA, USA, 2010.
6. Johnson, D. H., "The application of spectral estimation methods to bearing estimation problems," Proc. IEEE, Vol. 70, No. 9, 1018-1028, Sept. 1982.
doi:10.1109/PROC.1982.12430
7. Maguer, A., "Detection of targets in presence of strong jammers by adaptive beamforming," 1989 International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, ICASSP-89, Vol. 4, 2815-2818, May 23-26, 1989.
8. Yongzhe, L., S. A. Vorobyov, and A. Hassanien, "Robust beamforming for jammers suppression in MIMO radar," 2014 IEEE Radar Conference, 0629-0634, May 19-23, 2014.
9. Shin, C., J. Ju, D. Kang, S. Choi, C. Lee, C. Cheong, J. Seo, T. K. Sarkar, and M. Salazar Palma, "Implementation of an antenna array for satellite communications with the capability of canceling jammers," IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, Vol. 55, No. 1, 32-48, Feb. 2013.
doi:10.1109/MAP.2013.6474483
10. Bruce, E. and A. C. Beck, "Experiments with directivity steering for fading reduction," Proc. IRE, Vol. 23, No. 4, 357-371, Apr. 1935.
doi:10.1109/JRPROC.1935.227992
11. Chiao, J., Y. Fu, I. M. Chio, M. DeLisio, and L. Y. Lin, "MEMS reconfigurable vee antenna," IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., Vol. 4, 1515-1518, 1999.
12. Baek, C. W., S. Song, C. Cheon, Y. Kim, and Y. Kwon, "2-D mechanical beam steering antenna fabricated using MEMS technology," IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., Vol. 1, 2001.
13. Rodrigo, D., L. Jofre, and B. A. Cetiner, "Circular beam-steering reconfigurable antenna with liquid metal parasitics," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 60, No. 4, 1796-1802, 2012.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2012.2186235
14. Zarb-Adami, K., A. Faulkner, J. G. B. De Vaate, G. W. Kant, and P. Picard, "Beamforming techniques for large-N aperture arrays," IEEE Int. Symp. Phased Array Syst. Technol., 883-890, 2010.
15. Van Veen, B. D. and K. M. Buckley, "Beamforming: A versatile approach to spatial filtering," IEEE ASSP Magazine, Vol. 5, 4-24, 1988.
doi:10.1109/53.665
16. Steyskal, H., "Digital beamforming," 18th European Microwave Conference, 49-57, 1988.
17. Topak, E., J. Hasch, C. Wagner, and T. Zwick, "A novel millimeter-wave dual-fed phased array for beam steering," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 61, No. 8, 3140-3147, 2013.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2013.2267935
18. Robertson, I., MMIC Design, Institution of Electrical Engineers, Londres, 1995.
19. Nemati, M. H., M. Kaynak, and B. Tillack, "SiGe process integrated full-360o microelectrome- chanical systems-based active phase shifter for W-band automotive radar," IET Microw. Antennas Propag., Vol. 8, No. 11, 835-841, 2014.
doi:10.1049/iet-map.2013.0594
20. Balanis, C. A., Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, 3rd Ed., John Wiley & Sons Inc., , Canada, 2005.
21. Cardoso, A. S., P. Saha, P. S. Chakraborty, D. M. Fleischhauer, and J. D. Cressler, "Lowloss, wideband SPDT switches and switched-line phase shifter in 180-nm RF CMOS on SOI technology," IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (RWS), 199-201, 2014.
22. Zhang, J., S. W. Cheung, and Q. Zhu, "Design of 180o-switched-line phase shifter with constant phase shift using CRLH TL," IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium (APSURSI), 344-345, 2014.
doi:10.1109/APS.2014.6904504
23. Chen, P. Y., C. Argyropoulos, and A. Alu, "Terahertz antenna phase shifters using integrallygated graphene transmission-lines," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 61, No. 4, 1528-1537, Apr. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2012.2220327
24. Pozar, D., Microwave Engineering, 4th Ed., John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005.
25. Atwater, H. A., "Reflection coefficient transformations for phase-shift circuits," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 28, No. 6, 563-568, Jun. 1980.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.1980.1130119
26. Miller, D., S. Reiss, H. Masslert, A. Leuthert, and T. Zwick, "A H-band reflective-type phase shifter MMIC for ISM-band applications," IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), 1-4, Jun. 2014.
27. Van den Bogaart, F. L. M. and R. Pyndiah, "A 10-14 GHz linear MMIC vector modulator with less than 0.1 dB and 0.8 degrees amplitude and phase error," IEEE International Digest on Microwave Symposium, Vol. 1, 465-468, May 1990.
doi:10.1109/MWSYM.1990.99620
28. Ellinger, F. and W. Bachtold, "Novel principle for vector modulator-based phase shifters operating with only one control voltage," IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 37, No. 10, 1256-1259, Oct. 2002.
doi:10.1109/JSSC.2002.803014
29. Kim, S. J. and N. H. Myung, "A new active phase shifter using a vector sum method," IEEE Microw. Guid. Wave Lett., Vol. 10, No. 6, 233-235, Jun. 2000.
doi:10.1109/75.852426
30. Godara, L. C., "Application of the fast fourier transform to broadband beamforming," J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., Vol. 98, No. 1, 230-240, Jul. 1995.
doi:10.1121/1.413765
31. Do-Hong, T. and P. Russer, "Signal processing for wideband smart antenna array applications," IEEE Microw. Mag., Vol. 5, No. 1, 57-67, Mar. 2004.
doi:10.1109/MMW.2004.1284944
32. Han, S., I. Chih-Lin, Z. Xu, and S. Wang, "Reference signals design for hybrid analog and digital beamforming," IEEE Commun. Lett., Vol. 18, No. 7, 1191-1193, 2014.
doi:10.1109/LCOMM.2014.2317747
33. Raisanen, A. V., J. Ala-Laurinaho, D. Chicherin, Z. Du, A. Generalov, A. Karttunen, D. Lioubtchenko, J. Mallat, A. Tamminen, and T. Zvolensky, "Beam-steering antennas at millimeter wavelengths," 5th Global Symposium on Millimeter-Waves Proc., 170173, May 2012.
34. Antar, D. and Y. Guha, Microstrip and Printed Antennas: New Trends, Techniques and Applications, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2010.
doi:10.1002/9780470973370
35. Kawakami, H. and T. Ohira, "Electrically steerable passive array radiator (ESPAR) antennas," IEEE Antennas Propag. Mag., Vol. 47, No. 2, 43-50, Apr. 2005.
doi:10.1109/MAP.2005.1487777
36. Vilar, R., R. Czarny, M. L. Lee, B. Loiseaux, M. Sypek, M. Makowski, C. Martel, T. Crepin, F. Boust, R. Joseph, K. Herbertz, T. Bertuch, and J. Marti, "Q-band millimeter-wave antennas: An enabling technology for multigigabit wireless backhaul," IEEE Microw. Mag., Vol. 15, No. 4, 121-130, Jun. 2014.
doi:10.1109/MMM.2014.2308769
37. Kamarudin, M. R., P. S. Hall, F. Colombel, and M. Himdi, "Electronically switched beam disk-loaded monopole array antenna," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 101, 339-347, 2010.
doi:10.2528/PIER10010808
38. Ares-Pena, F. J., G. Franceschetti, and J. A. Rodriguez, "A simple alternative for beam reconfiguration of array antennas," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 88, 227-240, 2008.
doi:10.2528/PIER08110303
39. Sabapathy, T., M. F. Jamlos, R. B. Ahmad, M. Jusoh, and M. I. Jais, "A reconfigurable microstrip rectangular parasitic array antenna," IEEE Symposium on Wireless Technology & Applications (ISWTA), 372-375, Sept. 2013.
doi:10.1109/ISWTA.2013.6688807
40. Jusoh, M., T. Aboufoul, T. Sabapathy, A. Alomainy, and M. R. Kamarudin, "Pattern reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna with multidirectional beam for WiMAX application," IEEE Antennas Wirel. Propag. Lett., Vol. 13, 860-863, 2014.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2014.2320818
41. Li, Z., S. Member, D. Rodrigo, L. Jofre, and B. A. Cetiner, "A new class of antenna array with a reconfigurable element factor," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 61, No. 4, 1947-1955, Apr. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2012.2234073
42. Yuan, X., Z. Li, D. Rodrigo, S. Member, H. S. Mopidevi, O. Kaynar, L. Jofre, and B. A. Cetiner, "A parasitic layer-based reconfigurable antenna design by multi-objective optimization," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 60, No. 6, 2690-2701, Jun. 2012.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2012.2194663
43. Sabapathy, T., M. Jusoh, R. B. Ahmad, and M. R. Kamarudin, "Wide angle scanning reconfigurable beam steering antenna," 2015 European Microwave Conference (EuMC), 1451-1454, Paris, 2015.
doi:10.1109/EuMC.2015.7346047
44. Uchendu, I. and J. Kelly, "Combined parasitic and phased array reconfigurable antenna," 2015 Loughborough Antennas & Propagation Conference (LAPC), 1-4, Loughborough, 2015.
45. Sabapathy, T., R. B. Ahmad, M. Jusoh, M. R. Kamarudin, and A. Alomainy, "A pattern reconfigurable parasitic patch antenna using BAR and HPND PIN diode," 8th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), 3444-3445, Apr. 2014.
doi:10.1109/EuCAP.2014.6902569
46. Buttgenbach, T. H., "Improved solution for integrated array optics in quasi-optical mm and submm receivers: The hybrid antenna," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 41, No. 10, 1750-1761, Oct. 1993.
doi:10.1109/22.247920
47. Raisanen, A. V., J. Ala-Laurinaho, K. Haneda, J. Jarvelainen, A. Karttunen, M. Kyro, V. Semkin, A. Lamminen, and J. Saily, "Studies on E-band antennas and propagation," Loughborough Antennas & Propagation Conference (LAPC), 176-180, Nov. 2013.
48. Artemenko, A., A. Maltsev, R. Maslennikov, A. Sevastyanov, and V. Ssorin, "Beam steerable quartz integrated lens antenna for 60 GHz frequency band," Proc. 5th Eur. Conf. Antennas Propag., 758-762, Apr. 2011.
49. Ala-Laurinaho, J., A. Karttunen, J. Saily, A. Lamminen, R. Sauleau, and A. V. Raisanen, "MMwave lens antenna with an integrated LTCC feed array for beam steering," Proc. 4th Eur. Conf. Antennas Propag. (EuCAP), 2010.
50. Artemenko, A., A. Mozharovskiy, A. Maltsev, R. Maslennikov, A. Sevastyanov, and V. Ssorin, "2D electronically beam steerable integrated lens antennas for mmwave applications," 42nd European Microwave Conference (EuMC), 213-216, Nov. 2012.
51. Artemenko, A., A. Maltsev, A. Mozharovskiy, A. Sevastyanov, V. Ssorin, and R. Maslennikov, "Millimeter-wave electronically steerable integrated lens antennas for WLAN/WPAN applications," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 61, No. 4, 1665-1671, Apr. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2012.2232266
52. Filipovic, D. F., G. P. Gauthier, S. Raman, and G. M. Rebeiz, "Off-axis properties of silicon and quartz dielectric lens antennas," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 45, No. 5, 760-766, May 1997.
doi:10.1109/8.575618
53. Lam, T. A., D. C. Vier, J. A. Nielsen, C. G. Parazzoli, and M. H. Tanielian, "Steering phased array antenna beams to the horizon using a buckyball NIM lens," Proc. IEEE, Vol. 99, No. 10, 1755-1767, Oct. 2011.
doi:10.1109/JPROC.2011.2128290
54. Frezza, F., "Introduction to traveling-wave antennas," European School of Antennas, 1-10, 2006.
55. Karmokar, D. K. and K. P. Esselle, "Periodic U-slot-loaded dual-band half-width microstripleaky- wave antennas for forward and backward beam scanning," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 63, No. 12, 5372-5381, Dec. 2015.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2015.2490252
56. Topak, E., J. Hasch, C. Wagner, and T. Zwick, "A novel millimeter-wave dual-fed phased array for beam steering," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 61, No. 8, 3140-3147, Aug. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2013.2267935
57. Khalil, M., M. Kamarei, J. Jomaah, and H. Ayad, "Compact SIW leaky wave antenna," 2015 Third International Conference on Technological Advances in Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering (TAEECE), 124-129, Apr. 2015.
doi:10.1109/TAEECE.2015.7113612
58. Karmokar, D. K., K. P. Esselle, and S. G. Hay, "A microstrip leaky-wave antenna with two symmetrical beams towards sides for fixed-frequency dual-beam scanning," 2014 16th International Symposium on Antenna Technology and Applied Electromagnetics (ANTEM), 1-2, Jul. 13-16, 2014.
59. Karmokar, D. K., K. P. Esselle, and S. G. Hay, "Shifting the fixed-frequency beam scanning range of a leaky-wave antenna by slot loading," 2014 IEEE-APS Topical Conference on Antennas and Propagation in Wireless Communications (APWC), 640-643, Aug. 3-9, 2014.
60. Wang, X., W. Zhao, J. Hu, and W. Yin, "Reconfigurable terahertz leaky-wave antenna using graphene-based high-impedance surface," IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, Vol. 14, No. 1, 62-69, Jan. 2015.
doi:10.1109/TNANO.2014.2365205
61. Ghasemi, A., S. N. Burokur, A. Dhouibi, and A. de Lustrac, "Phase-gradient metasurfaces for beam steerable antennas," 2014 International Workshop on Antenna Technology: "Small Antennas, Novel EM Structures and Materials, and Applications" (iWAT), 191-194, Mar. 4-6, 2014.
62. Guo, Y.-C., X.-W. Shi, and L. Chen, "Retrodirective array technology," Progress In Electromagnetics Research B, Vol. 5, 153-167, 2008.
doi:10.2528/PIERB08021704
63. Miyamoto, R. Y. and T. Itoh, "Retrodirective arrays for wireless communications," IEEE Microw. Mag., Vol. 3, No. 1, 71-79, Mar. 2002.
doi:10.1109/6668.990692
64. Chen, L., Y. C. Guo, X. W. Shi, and T. L. Zhang, "Overview on the phase conjugation techniques of the retrodirective array," Int. J. Antennas Propag., Vol. 2010, 2010.
65. Veselago, V. G., "The electrodynamics of substances with simultaneously negative values of ε and μ," Sov. Phys. Uspekhi, Vol. 10, No. 4, 509-514, Jan.-Feb. 1968.
doi:10.1070/PU1968v010n04ABEH003699
66. Symeonidou, A. and K. Siakavara, "A novel microstrip antenna array with metamaterial-based electronic beam steering at 2.4 GHz," Progress In Electromagnetics Research C, Vol. 38, 27-42, 2013.
doi:10.2528/PIERC13020405
67. Jiang, T., Z. Wang, D. Li, J. Pan, B. Zhang, J. Huangfu, Y. Salamin, C. Li, and L. Ran, "Low-Dc voltage-controlled steering-antenna radome utilizing tunable active metamaterial," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 60, No. 1, 170-178, Jan. 2012.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2011.2171981
68. Li, H., D. Ye, F. Shen, B. Zhang, Y. Sun, W. Zhu, C. Li, and L. Ran, "Reconfigurable diffractive antenna based on switchable electrically induced transparency," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 63, No. 3, 925-936, Mar. 2015.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2015.2393862
69. Pan, W., C. Huang, P. Chen, M. Pu, X. Ma, and X. Luo, "A beam steering horn antenna using active frequency selective surface," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 61, No. 12, 6218-6223, Dec. 2013.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2013.2280592
70. Dadgarpour, A., B. Zarghooni, B. S. Virdee, and T. A. Denidni, "Beam-deflection using gradient refractive-index media for 60-GHz nnd-Fire antenna," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 63, No. 8, 3768-3774, Aug. 2015.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2015.2438396
71. Sun, F., Y. Ma, and S. He, "Two beam steering lenses enabled by metamaterials," 2015 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Advanced Materials and Processes for RF and THz Applications (IMWS-AMP), 1-3, Suzhou, 2015.
72. Wu, Z. N., W. X. Tang, and T. J. Cui, "A beam-steerable metamaterial lens using varactor diodes," 2015 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Advanced Materials and Processes for RF and THz Applications (IMWS-AMP), 1-3, Suzhou, 2015.
Submit
