Wideband Single‐Layer Reflectarray Antenna for Millimeter‐Wave 5G Communications

The rapid evolution of intelligent applications has driven the demand for high‐performance antenna systems. Reflectarrays (RAs), also referred to as planar reflectors, have emerged as a promising solution for modern wireless and satellite communication systems due to their beam‐steering capability and high‐gain characteristics. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of a novel unit cell geometry and its simulated design for RA antennas operating in the millimeter‐wave (mm‐wave) band at 28 GHz, aiming to enhance performance metrics such as bandwidth, phase agility, and efficiency for its applications in 5G communication systems. The proposed unit cell consists of a rectangular patch with a set of strategically embedded slot configurations in order to achieve optimum performance based on surface current modification. For the periodic array, initially, a 21 × 21 element array was designed and then the corner elements were truncated to form a 357 elements array in circular configuration. The proposed RA demonstrated a gain of 21.4 dB, for a tilted beam formed at 19 ° using a center feed horn. More importantly, the proposed RA achieved a significantly improved 1‐dB gain bandwidth of over 23.21% for a frequency range of 26.5‐GHz which can be used in mm‐wave applications such as 5G communication systems.