Frequency reconfigurable two-element MIMO antenna for cognitive radio and 5G new radio sub-6 GHz applications

Abstract In this paper, a compact two-element reconfigurable multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for 5G new radio sub-6 GHz is presented and discussed. The proposed MIMO antenna has four frequency operating modes: a wideband operating mode (2.41–6 GHz), a wideband operating mode with a notching band at 3.5 GHz (3.2–3.66 GHz), a low-pass filter mode that filters the higher frequencies with a wide operating band from 2.41 GHz to 4.7 GHz, and a dual-band mode with two operating narrow bands (2.41–3.16 GHz and 3.64–4.7 GHz). To improve the isolation over the entire operating band, a strip line connecting the two ground planes of the two antenna elements has been used. To validate the proposed approach, different prototypes have been fabricated and measured. The simulation results are in good agreement with the measurement results. The proposed antenna has good MIMO diversity performance with a maximum gain of 4.64 dBi. The minimum isolation is 18 dB for the four operating modes, while a measured envelope correlation coefficient of less than 0.008 is achieved. The diversity gain is near 10 dB for various operating modes. The antenna is suitable for cognitive radio and 5G sub-6 GHz applications.