A Dual-polarized Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna Array with Differential Feeding

TANG Li; WANG Zhihui; ZHAO Luyu

doi:10.11999/JEIT260505

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TANG Li, WANG Zhihui, ZHAO Luyu. A Dual-polarized Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna Array with Differential Feeding[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260505

Citation:

TANG Li, WANG Zhihui, ZHAO Luyu. A Dual-polarized Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna Array with Differential Feeding[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260505

TANG Li, WANG Zhihui, ZHAO Luyu. A Dual-polarized Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna Array with Differential Feeding[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260505

Citation:

TANG Li, WANG Zhihui, ZHAO Luyu. A Dual-polarized Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna Array with Differential Feeding[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260505

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A Dual-polarized Magnetoelectric Dipole Antenna Array with Differential Feeding

doi: 10.11999/JEIT260505 cstr: 32379.14.JEIT260505

TANG Li¹,
WANG Zhihui²,
ZHAO Luyu^{2
,
,}

1.
The Tenth Research of China Electronics Technology Corporation, Chengdu 610036, China
2.
Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China

Received Date: 2026-04-27
Accepted Date: 2026-06-15
Rev Recd Date: 2026-06-02

Available Online: 2026-06-19

Abstract

Abstract

Objective This study addresses key challenges in Fifth-Generation (5G) millimeter-wave terminal antennas by designing a compact, high-performance dual-polarized array. Existing designs often face trade-offs among bandwidth, beam-scanning range, and integration complexity. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a differentially fed magnetoelectric dipole array. A stacked stripline-slot-stripline balun is used to enable efficient single-ended-to-differential conversion, and the array design is optimized. The objective is to realize an integrated solution with wideband operation, low cross-polarization, wide-angle beam scanning, and high integration density for practical 5G millimeter-wave applications. Methods A structured design method is adopted. First, a stacked differential balun based on a stripline-slot-stripline configuration is developed to achieve efficient single-ended-to-differential conversion. A single-polarized magnetoelectric dipole antenna element is then designed and integrated with the balun, and its performance is characterized. The design is further extended by orthogonally integrating two elements to form a dual-polarized unit, which is used to construct a 1×4 linear array. Iterative full-wave electromagnetic simulation and optimization are conducted to balance wideband impedance matching, high port isolation, stable wide-angle beam scanning, grating-lobe suppression, and mutual-coupling reduction. Results and Discussions The optimized 1×4 dual-polarized differentially fed magnetoelectric dipole antenna array uses an element spacing of 4.6 mm, corresponding to 0.4 free-space wavelength at 26 GHz. This spacing achieves a favorable balance between grating-lobe suppression and inter-element mutual-coupling reduction. The measured –10 dB reflection coefficient bandwidths are 25～29.4 GHz for the +45° polarization port and 25～27.7 GHz for the –45° polarization port (Fig. 20). The slight matching difference is attributed to the incomplete structural symmetry of the baluns under the two polarization modes (Fig. 13). At 26 GHz, both polarization modes provide a peak gain of 10.7～11 dBi and support ±60° wide-angle beam scanning, with main-lobe gain attenuation no greater than 3 dB (Fig. 21). The measured radiation performance agrees well with the simulated results. Minor deviations are mainly caused by the high dimensional sensitivity of millimeter-wave structures and small errors in fabrication and test assembly. The array also maintains stable low cross-polarization and high port isolation across the operating band. These results are achieved through equal-length feed lines, symmetric layout, ground-pad shielding, and metallized-via electromagnetic isolation (Fig. 16), which suppress mutual coupling and parasitic radiation and ensure consistent dual-polarized radiation performance. Conclusions This paper presents a dual-polarized magnetoelectric dipole antenna array with differential feeding for 5G millimeter-wave applications. By using a stacked stripline-slot-stripline balun and optimizing the radiating structure and array layout, the design achieves wide bandwidth, high gain, low cross-polarization, and wide-angle beam scanning. The differential balun enables efficient single-ended-to-differential conversion with good amplitude and phase balance across the target band. The implemented 1×4 array, with an optimized element spacing of 4.6 mm, achieves a simulated peak gain of 11 dBi at 26 GHz and supports ±60° beam scanning, with gain variation below 3 dB. The overall design verifies the feasibility of a differentially fed magnetoelectric dipole architecture for compact, high-performance 5G millimeter-wave terminal antenna modules. Future work may focus on larger array configurations and further integration with BeamForming Integrated Circuits (BFICs).
- 5G millimeter-wave,
- Differential feeding,
- Magnetoelectric dipole,
- Dual-polarized,
- Array antenna

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References(16)

References

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