Millimeter-Wave Reflector Based on a Ferroelectric Material with Electrical Beam Steering

Abstract

Millimeter waves are increasingly used in modern telecommunication systems for wireless data transmission. However, higher path loss, especially caused by non-line-of-sight scenarios, remains challenging. The design of an electrically controllable reflector for the millimeter-wave range is elaborated and presented in this manuscript. The reflector design was based on distributed ferroelectric ceramic elements and could be used in a frequency range up to 100 GHz. The issue of the ferroelectric reflector impedance matching was analyzed in detail. Two possible implementations of the reflector for indoor and outdoor communication systems were considered and simulated. The prototype of the proposed reflector for an operating frequency of 60 GHz was manufactured. Both simulation and measurement results demonstrated the beam steering by the proposed ferroelectric reflector.