A 5G MIMO Antenna Manufactured by 3-D Printing Method

In this letter, a multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for 5G base stations is manufactured utilizing three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology. A high-resolution printer based on 3-D stereo lithography is induced to ensure the printing accuracy. The printing process of the proposed antenna with a size of 27.2 × 27.2 × 17 mm3 can be completed within half an hour. The printed sample is made of a kind of photosensitive resin, so all of its surfaces are metalized as the conductive surfaces of the antenna using a metal plating method. The characteristics of the 3-D printed antenna are investigated. The bandwidth of the antenna is measured to be 3.5–5.1 GHz. The antenna is composed of two orthogonal polarized dipoles. In the bandwidth, both the voltage standing-wave ratios of the two dipoles are below 1.5, and the isolation between the two dipoles is better than 18 dB. The far-field radiation patterns of the antenna in both the horizontal and vertical planes are measured in an anechoic chamber. All the characteristics of the proposed antenna are also simulated using High Frequency Structure Simulator. The measured and simulated results are in good accordance.

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