Online Spotlight: Toward 6G: Selecting the Antenna Type that Meets Future Design Challenges.

Abstract

The antenna is a pivotal component in the design of any wireless system, playing a crucial role in facilitating wireless communication. The antennas for sixth generation (6G) and future communication systems are expected to be highly directional, have ultra-wide bandwidth and be efficiently reconfigurable. To meet these evolving requirements, diverse antenna designs have been conceptualized and proposed. The sub-THz (100 to 300 GHz) and THz (0.1 to 10 THz) spectra have been identified for 6G and future communication systems. Such high frequencies are characterized by high path loss and high atmospheric absorption. This article delineates the prerequisites of antennas for beyond 5G applications, addresses associated design challenges, surveys various antenna types suitable for 6G and future communication systems and provides a comprehensive guide for selecting antennas tailored to specific use cases such as ubiquitous Mobile Broadband (uMBB) and ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications uRLLC, spectra (including mmWave and Terahertz) and enabling technologies. Three prominent types of antennas receive particular attention: patch antennas, extremely massive Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (emMIMO) antennas and reconfigurable metamaterial antennas.