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• Setting up an array of beam steering antennas
Directional, beam steering, multi-beam antennas are commonly used with 5G mmWave networks. A 5G
mmWave base station often consists of an array antenna. An array, however, radiates energy in an
omnidirectional manner around the horizon. To ensure that users get the strongest signal, and their devices
maximize data throughput, directional beams are required. A directional beam can be created by taking multiple
instances of an antenna and placing them in proximity to one another. The beam can also be steered by
applying different phase shifts.
It's possible to model an array of beam steering antennas in HFSS. By applying a lattice pair boundary to a unit
cell, a designer can simulate an antenna and propagate it with boundary shifts. To steer the antenna, HFSS has
a Finite Array Beam Angle Calculator which auto propagates the antenna into the excitation sources. By
sweeping through the angles, the designer can simulate how the antenna beam will steer and point toward
the direction of interest.
Mastering 5G Technology with Ansys Solutions
Figure 7: Thermal Mitigation of Antennas in Icepak
• Managing thermal mitigation in beam steering antennas
Beam steering antennas and any other radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) can contribute heat to a
system.
Product designers can use Icepak to identify and address thermal issues before a system has been fabricated.
It's possible, for instance, to model a beam steering antenna array. In the example in Figure 7, it's evident that
the PCB is absorbing much of the heat. While the temperature at the edges is acceptable, heat is building up
around the ICs.
Using the toolkits built into Icepak, designers can experiment with thermal mitigation measures such as forced
air cooling like a fan or a heatsink.
