Reconfigurable Dual-Polarized Beam-steering Broadband Antenna Using a Crossed-Strips Geometry

In this letter, a reconfigurable dual-polarized broadband antenna with beam-steering capabilities using a parasitic layer is proposed for 5G new radio (NR) frequency range 1 (FR-1) applications. The antenna is a dual-port aperture-stacked patch structure with symmetrical orthogonal (horizontal and vertical) currents. The beam-steering is achieved by a pair of reconfigurable cross-shaped parasitic strips, which bestow the antenna three main beam directions $\theta =\lbrace {\sim} {-}25^{\circ },0^{\circ }, {\sim} 25^{\circ }\rbrace, \phi =\lbrace 0^{\circ }\rbrace$ with pointing and gain ( $ 7$ dB) stability across a $30 \%$ impedance bandwidth ( $S_{11}, S_{22} dB) from $3.2 - 4.3$ GHz for both ports/polarizations. A prototype of the antenna is manufactured and measured demonstrating results in accordance with simulation expectations.