Advanced 5G and SATCOM Phased-Arrays Using Silicon Technologies: The End of the Marconi Era is Near Video

During the past 50 years, phased-arrays have being largely developed for the defense sector. Today, due to the increased demand for data, there is a need for base-station and mobile-user phased-arrays which can provide high-capacity data services through directional links. Both digital-beamforming at the element level (sub-6 GHz) and hybrid (i.e. analog/digital) beamforming for the mm-waves bands are being developed for 5G systems. These commercial investments are leading to dramatic changes in phased-arrays: High EIRP, high-performance systems at 12, 14 GHz and 28 GHz (SATCOM), X/Ku-band (Radars), 24-30 GHz, 37-42 GHz and even 60 GHz (all for 5G), and with multiple beams, are now available at low-cost. The single most important aspect of these arrays is their use of advanced silicon technologies and planar antennas for dramatically lowering the development and unit cost. The talk will summarize the work in this area, and present a roadmap for the future.