Tunable eight-element MIMO antenna based on the antenna cluster concept

Realising capacity demands of future wireless communications require improved spectral efficiency in the sub-6 GHz frequency bands. This study proposes a novel eight-element multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna that can be tuned from 1.7 to 6 GHz. The design is based on the antenna cluster concept, where weighted feeding of multiple antenna elements is used to modify the operating frequency. This study extends the theory of the concept to account for multiple separate clusters, thus enabling it to be used for MIMO. The proposed antenna achieves over 60% efficiency at frequencies above 3 GHz, and the system exceeds the ergodic capacity of the ideal 7 × 7 MIMO in that band.