Received 28 April 2025, accepted 21 May 2025, date of publication 26 May 2025, date of current version 2 June 2025.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3573721

Hybrid MIMO Antennas Comprising Ultra-

Wideband Frame Conjoined Two-Antenna
Elements in 3.3-8.4 GHz and Low-Profile
Backcover Four-Antenna Module in
6.425-8.4 GHz for 5G/6G Smartphones
KIN-LU WONG 1,2 , (Fellow, IEEE), CHIA-YING WU1 , (Student Member, IEEE),
WAN-TING LI1 , (Student Member, IEEE), AND WEI-YU LI3 , (Member, IEEE)
1 Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
2 6G Communication and Sensing Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
3 Information and Communications Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31057, Taiwan

Corresponding author: Kin-Lu Wong (wongkl@[Link])

This work was supported in part by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, under Grant NSTC 113-2218-E-110-009; and
in part by the Six-Generation Communication and Sensing Research Center funded by the Higher Education SPROUT Project, the
Ministry of Education, Taiwan.

ABSTRACT Each generation of mobile communications introduces new frequency spectrums and new
communication systems to increase user’s experienced data rates. For instance, the fifth-generation (5G)
communication introduces the 4 × 4 multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) system (4 receive antennas for
4 spatial streams) for mobile devices such as the smartphone, especially in 3.3-5.0 GHz in the mid-band,
to achieve increased data rates for the user. Also, the MIMO antennas are generally deployed along the frame
of the smartphone. For future six-generation (6G) communications, the new spectrum of 6.425-8.4 GHz
in the upper mid-band is envisioned as a potential 6G prime mobile spectrum. Additionally, higher-order
MIMO operations such as the 8 × 4 MIMO (eight receive antennas for four spatial streams) are promising
for 6G smartphones to achieve increased data rates for the user. In this study, to conveniently employ 5G
mid-band/6G upper mid-band MIMO antennas in future smartphones, we introduce for the first time hybrid
MIMO antennas comprising 4 frame antennas provided by two ultra-wideband (UWB) frame conjoined two-
antenna (FC2A) elements in 3.3-8.4 GHz and four backcover antennas provided by a low-profile backcover
four-antenna (B4A) module or modular MIMO antennas in 6.425-8.4 GHz. The four frame antennas not only
operate for 5G mid-band 4 × 4 MIMO in 3.3-5.0 GHz but also can combine with four backcover antennas
to operate for 6G upper mid-band 8 × 4 MIMO in 6.425-8.4 GHz. We address details of the hybrid MIMO
antennas formed by the FC2A element and B4A module in this study. We also apply the fabricated hybrid
MIMO antennas in the mid-band 4 × 4 and upper mid-band 8 × 4 MIMO systems in the outdoor field test to
evaluate their MIMO performance for 5G/6G smartphones. The results obtained demonstrate that the hybrid
MIMO antennas are promising for the deployment of 5G/6G MIMO antennas in future smartphones.

INDEX TERMS Mobile antennas, MIMO antennas, hybrid MIMO antennas, conjoined two-element
elements, backcover four-antenna module, modular MIMO antennas, 5G mid-band MIMO antennas,
6G upper mid-band MIMO antennas, 5G/6G smartphones, 8 × 4 MIMO, 4 × 4 MIMO.

I. INTRODUCTION
The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and For the evolution of mobile communications, new frequency
approving it for publication was Kai Lu . spectrums and communication systems are introduced to
2025 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
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increase data rates for the user. For current 5G smartphones, make the B4A module requiring a larger thickness or antenna
the 4 × 4 MIMO communication in the mid-band (typically height for operating in the mid-band [14]. For example,
in 3.3-5.0 GHz [1]) is introduced to achieve increased spectral the thickness of typical B4A modules requires larger than
efficiency and therefore increased user’s data rates. Also note 2 mm [14], [15], [16], [17]; this makes such B4A mod-
that the 4 × 4 MIMO in the 5G smartphone uses 4 receive ules not so promising to realize mid-band MIMO antennas
antennas employed along the frame thereof to receive 4 spa- in the smartphone, as compared to upper mid-band MIMO
tial streams for the MIMO communication. antennas.
To realize 6G communications for future smartphones, Thus, for future 5G/6G smartphones to operate in mid-
new international mobile communication (IMT) spectrums band 4 × 4 MIMO [16] and upper mid-band 8 × 4
of 6.425-7.125 and 7.125-8.4 GHz in the upper mid-band MIMO communications [11], we propose in this study
recently receive great attention [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], to use hybrid 8 MIMO antennas comprising two ultra-
[8]. The IMT band of 6.425-7.125 GHz was resolved in wideband (UWB) frame conjoined two-antenna (FC2A)
the recent World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 elements in 3.3-8.4 GHz and a low-profile B4A module in
(WRC-23) [2]. Some countries also officially announced or 6.425-8.4 GHz. The corresponding fractional bandwidths for
even completed the auction of the frequency band thereof for the FC2A element and B4A module are about 87% and 27%,
5G/6G applications [3], [4], [5]. respectively.
On the other hand, the IMT band of 7.125-8.4 GHz or parts The two FC2A elements alone provide 4 MIMO antennas
thereof are favorably recommended for 6G applications [7], deployed along the smartphone’s side frames for mid-band
[8] and scheduled to be resolved in the WRC-27 in late 2027 4 × 4 MIMO communication in 3.3-5.0 GHz. Furthermore,
[2]. From the latest trends for IMT spectrums, we can see the 4 frame antennas together with 4 antennas of the B4A
that the 6.425-8.4 GHz band is very promising to become the module can be applied for upper mid-band 8 × 4 or 8 × 8
potential 6G prime mobile spectrum [9], like the 3.3-5.0 GHz MIMO communication in 6.425-8.4 GHz.
band currently regarded as the 5G prime mobile spectrum [1]. Note that the operating bandwidth (3.3-8.4 GHz) of the
In addition to the potential new 6G spectrum of FC2A element is as large as 5.1 GHz to cover both the
6.425-8.4 GHz, higher-order MIMO communications such as 3.3-5.0 GHz in the mid-band and 6.425-8.4 GHz in the upper
the 8 × 4 MIMO (8 receive antennas for 4 spatial streams mid-band. The operating bandwidth is the largest among
in the MIMO system) have been envisioned for the 6G those of reported conjoined two-antenna elements with the
smartphone to achieve enhanced spectral efficiency and in radiating portions of two antennas directly connected [18],
turn increased data rates for the user [9], [10], [11]. In this [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26]; they include the
case, the future smartphone requires 8 MIMO antennas, use of a distributed bandpass filter [18], [19], [20], a connect-
which are two times the MIMO antennas in the 5G smart- ing chip inductor [21], [22], a shorting metal wall [23], [24],
phone. For such applications, the low-profile backcover four- a shared radiator [25], and a shared central slot [26] to directly
antenna (B4A) module or modular MIMO antennas covering connect the radiating portions of two antennas.
6.425-8.4 GHz has been proposed to easily deploy at For the B4A module applied in this study, it has a low
least 8 MIMO antennas for 6G upper mid-band higher-order profile of 1 mm to cover the 6.425-8.4 GHz band. The low
MIMO communications [9], [12]. profile of the applied B4A module allows it to be promising
Furthermore, the B4A module can be allocated in the for mounting in the narrow region in the backcover region
backcover region of the smartphone [13], different from the of the smartphone. The hybrid MIMO antennas formed by
conventional MIMO antennas employed along the frame of two FC2A elements and one B4A module are analyzed and
the smartphone. The B4A module can also be conveniently fabricated to use as receive antennas in the smartphone for
allocated close to the chipset in the smartphone to minimize mid-band 4 × 4 MIMO and upper mid-band 8 × 4 MIMO
the connection loss, which is larger at higher operating fre- communications [11] in the outdoor scenario to evaluate their
quencies. It is also interesting to note that, based on applying MIMO performance.
the B4A modules, the 8 × 4 MIMO can achieve a spectral With 4 spatial streams in the MIMO system, the 8 × 4
efficiency of about 26 bps/Hz or even 31 bps/Hz in the MIMO with the hybrid MIMO antennas applied as 8 receive
outdoor scenario [11]. For this application, the study in [11] antennas in the smartphone, we obtained a large spectral
applied two B4A modules for 8 MIMO antennas in 6.425- efficiency of about 25 bps/Hz in the outdoor field test.
8.4 GHz of the upper mid-band. The spectral efficiency obtained is larger than that (about
In addition to promising upper mid-band higher-order 19 bps/Hz) of the 4 × 4 MIMO with the four frame antennas
MIMO communications for future 5G/6G smartphones, it is provided by two FC2A elements or four backcover antennas
worth noting that the mid-band 4 × 4 MIMO in 3.3-5.0 GHz provided by the B4A module.
will also prevail for wider coverage. This is mainly because The results obtained support that the hybrid MIMO anten-
mid-band frequencies have longer wavelengths and thus rel- nas are promising mobile MIMO antennas for applying the
atively lower over-the-air path loss, as compared to upper Extreme Receive Antennas-aided MIMO [12] to achieve
mid-band frequencies. However, longer wavelengths will enhanced spectral efficiency for 6G mobile devices. It also

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indicates that the hybrid MIMO antennas are promising for

the deployment of 5G/6G MIMO antennas in future smart-
phones.
To address the proposed hybrid MIMO antennas, the rest
of the paper will present the configuration of the hybrid
MIMO antennas for 5G/6G smartphones in Section II; details
of the UWB FC2A element and low-profile B4A module
respectively in Sections III and IV; measured results of
the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas in Section V; the
4 × 4 MIMO field test in 4.8-4.9 GHz in the mid-band and
the 8 × 4 and 4 × 4 MIMO field test in 7.025-7.125 GHz
in the upper mid-band to evaluate the MIMO performance of
the hybrid MIMO antennas in Section VI; and, finally, the
conclusion in Section VII.

II. HYBRID MIMO ANTENNAS FOR 5G/6G

SMARTPHONES
Fig. 1 shows the geometry of hybrid MIMO antennas con-
sisting of two UWB FC2A elements covering 3.3-8.4 GHz
and a B4A module covering 6.425-8.4 GHz for 5G/6G smart-
phones. The top and side views of hybrid 8 MIMO antennas
are respectively shown in Fig. 1(a) and 1(b). The FC2A
elements are symmetrically placed along the upper portion
of two side frames of the smartphone.
Note that the lower portion of two side frames are omit-
ted in the figure for simplicity. The chassis ground of the
smartphone uses a 0.8 mm thick FR4 substrate with a ground
plane of dimensions 66.4 mm × 150 mm printed on the
bottom surface thereof. The two side frames also use the same
0.8 mm thick FR4 substrate of loss tangent 0.02 and relative
permittivity 4.4.
There is also a 1 mm ground clearance between each FIGURE 1. Geometry of hybrid MIMO antennas for 5G/6G smartphones;
side frame and the chassis ground. The total width of the two UWB frame conjoined two-antenna (FC2A) elements cover
3.3-8.4 GHz and the backcover four-antenna (B4A) module covers
smartphone is thus 70 mm, including two side frames of 6.425-8.4 GHz. (a) Top view. (b) Side view.
thickness 0.8 mm, two ground clearances of width 1 mm, and
the chassis ground of width 66.4 mm. With the length of the
chassis ground selected as 150 mm, the total dimensions of
the smartphone are 70 mm × 150 mm in the study, which is
about the size of modern smartphones.
Two FC2A elements provide 4 frame antennas with
Ports 1, 2 in Element 1 and Ports 3, 4 in Element 2. Each
FC2A element is printed on the inner surface of the side
frame. For experimental testing, each port is fed through
a 50-ohm microstrip stripline printed on the top substrate
surface of the chassis. Then, through a via-hole, a 50-ohm
SMA connector placed on the back side of the chassis is
connected to the printed microstrip feedline to feed each port.
Each FC2A element comprises two conjoined UWB FIGURE 2. Design dimensions of the UWB FC2A element (Element 1 in
MIMO antennas printed on the inner surface of the smart- Fig. 1) providing two decoupled antennas with Ports 1 and 2.
phone’s side frame. The UWB operation is obtained owing to
successful excitation of three resonant modes including one
quarter-wavelength loop mode [27], [28] and two monopole requirement of the decoupling distance between two anten-
feed modes at adjacent frequencies. nas, thereby achieving a compact size for the FC2A element.
For the compact size, it is related to the use of conjoined Fig. 2 shows design dimensions of the UWB FC2A ele-
shorting/decoupling section to connect and decouple two ment (Element 1 with Ports 1 and 2 in Fig. 1) with two
antennas of the FC2A element. This behavior eliminates the decoupled antennas of the same dimensions. Both antennas

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from hybrid 8 MIMO antennas to the chipset can thus be

minimized for operating in the upper mid-band frequencies.
Details of the B4A module are further analyzed in Section IV.
In addition, it is worth noting that the B4A module ground
is directly printed on the top surface of the chassis in the
study to provide a rigid structure for experimental testing.
For practical applications, with its low profile of 1 mm, the
B4A module will be capable of mounting in the narrow
region between the backcover and the battery or associated
electronic modules mounted on the chassis. In this case, the
B4A module will not directly occupy the chassis surface of
the smartphone.

III. THE FRAME CONJOINED TWO-ANTENNA ELEMENT

As shown in Fig. 2, the FC2A element printed on the
FIGURE 3. Design dimensions of the B4A module providing four
inner surface of the side frame occupies a planar region of
decoupled antennas with Ports 5-8 in Fig. 1. 24.4 mm × 7.0 mm. Each antenna in the FC2A element is a
coupled-fed printed loop antenna [27], [28] with a radiating
monopole feed. The monopole feed (the inverted-L strip APB
for Port 1 in the figure) contributes to two resonant modes at
about 5.7 and 7.8 GHz (see Modes 2 and 3 in the simulated S
parameters of Ports 1 and 2 shown in Fig. 4).
The simulated results are obtained using the three-
dimensional high frequency electromagnetic simulation soft-
ware HFSS [29]. Note that the S11 and S22 show slight
variations over the UWB of 3.3-8.4 GHz, which is owing to
the asymmetric locations of two antennas in Element 1 with
respect to the chassis ground in the study. The transmission
coefficient S12 is also seen to be less than -13 dB over the
operating band. The frequency spectrum of 3.3-8.4 GHz with
a fractional bandwidth of about 87% is also shown in the
FIGURE 4. Simulated S parameters of Ports 1 and 2 in Element 1.
colored region in the figure.
In addition, as seen in the excited surface currents on
Element 1 in Fig. 5(b) and (c), those for Mode ② are stronger
are directly connected yet decoupled to cover 3.3-8.4 GHz. close to the outer edge of the monopole feed; and those for
Detailed design considerations of the FC2A element are Mode ③ are stronger along the inner edge of the monopole
addressed in Section III. feed.
For the B4A module, it provides 4 MIMO antennas with Note that the former resonant path has a corresponding
Ports 5-8. The design dimensions of the B4A module are length of about 11.2 mm or about 0.21λ with respect to
given in Fig. 3. The B4A module has a thickness of 1 mm 5.7 GHz. On the other hand, the latter resonant path has
only, consisting of a 0.4 mm thick FR4 substrate and a a length of about 8.2 mm or about 0.21λ with respect to
0.6 mm thick air layer. The presence of the air layer decreases 7.8 GHz. Both Modes ② and ③ are therefore considered
the effective relative permittivity of the 1 mm thick module to be quarter-wavelength monopole modes and can be finely
substrate to be about 1.45. In addition, the possible dielectric adjusted by varying the dimensions of the monopole feed.
loss associated with the module substrate can be decreased, Also, Modes ② and ③ cover about 5.0-8.4 GHz in the
owing to the air-layer presence. target UWB.
The lower relative permittivity and decreased dielectric To further generate Mode ① to cover the lower operat-
loss for the module substrate are favorable to obtain wider ing frequencies around 3.3-5.0 GHz, each monopole feed
bandwidth and larger antenna efficiency for the 4 MIMO capacitively excites the shorted strip (for Port 1, the strip
antennas packed in the module. Also see that the ground plane CD short-circuited to the chassis ground through a dis-
of the B4A module is selected as 35 mm × 35 mm and its one tributed bandpass filter between Points D and H) to generate
side edge is flushed to the chassis centerline. a quarter-wavelength loop resonant mode [27], [28]. The
In this case, the B4A module is close to the upper portion corresponding excited surface current distribution is shown
of the chassis where the chipset is located. This consideration in Fig. 5(a).
is like the case of two FC2A elements placed in the upper One can see that, on the top radiating strip CDE of the
portion of two side frames. The connection loss associated FC2A element, the surface currents along the strip CD are

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FIGURE 6. Simulated antenna efficiency of Ports 1 and 2 in Element 1.

two antennas in Element 1 directly connected to form as

conjoined yet decoupled antennas [24], the conventionally
required spacing between two antennas to achieve decoupling
is eliminated. These design characteristics lead to a compact
size of the UWB FC2A element here.
Also note that the distributed bandpass filter from Point D
to Point H in Fig. 2 comprises a distributed capacitor (the strip
of length 9.2 mm coupled through a 0.2 mm gap to the top
radiating strip CDE) and a distributed inductor of the shorting
strip GH (length 3.8 mm). The distributed bandpass filter is
designed to resonate near 3.3 GHz to achieve enhanced port
isolation of Mode ① excited by Ports 1 and 2 (see the S12
showing a dip at about 3.3 GHz in Fig. 4). With the pres-
ence of the distributed bandpass filter, the port isolation of
Ports 1 and 2 spaced by 11.2 mm (see Fig. 2, it is only
about 0.12 wavelength at 3.3 GHz) can be larger than 13 dB
as seen in Fig. 4.
On the other hand, since Modes ② and ③ are excited at
relatively higher frequencies and the two ports in the FC2A
element are spaced by 11.2 mm, which is about 0.21λ at
5.7 GHz or about 0.29λ at 7.8 GHz, the port isolation for
Modes ② and ③ is close to 20 dB without the need of
additional decoupling elements. In this case, the port isola-
FIGURE 5. Excited surface current distributions on the FC2A element tion of two antennas in the FC2A element is all larger than
excited by Port 1; other ports are terminated to 50 ohms. (a) 3.7 GHz. 13 dB over the operating band, which is sufficient for MIMO
(b) 5.7 GHz. (c) 7.8 GHz.
antenna applications [9].
Fig. 6 shows the simulated antenna efficiency of
much stronger than those along the strip DE, which is the Ports 1 and 2 in Element 1. The antenna efficiency of
corresponding radiating strip for Port 2 [see Fig. 5(a)]. This Ports 1 and 2 varies from about 52% to 85% over the
behavior also explains the enhanced port isolation obtained UWB and shows slight variations, which is owing to their
between Ports 1 and 2. asymmetric locations along the side frame. The simulated
With Modes ① , ②, and ③ excited at about 3.7, 5.0, and transmission coefficients of Port 1 in Element 1 to Ports 3 and
7.8 GHz, the UWB of 3.3-8.4 GHz is obtained for each 4 in Element 2 are also shown in Fig. 7. The S13 and S14 over
antenna in the FC2A element. Notice that the impedance the operating band are less than −27 dB. This indicates that
matching across 3.3-8.4 GHz is better than 3:1 VSWR two ports in different FC2A elements have small coupling to
or -6 dB, which is widely used as the design criterion for each other.
mobile antennas [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17]. Fig. 8 shows the simulated envelope correlation coeffi-
It is worth noting that, owing to generating a quarter- cients (ECC12 , ECC13 , ECC14 ) for the radiated waves of
wavelength loop resonant mode (Mode ① ) to cover the Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2. The ECC values are evaluated
lower operating frequencies of the target UWB, the required based on using the far-field radiation fields of two anten-
size for Element 1 can be decreased. Additionally, with the nas [31]. The ECC12 of two antennas in Element 1 is less

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FIGURE 7. Simulated transmission coefficients of Port 1 in Element 1 to

Ports 3 and 4 in Element 2.

FIGURE 9. Geometries of the FC2A element (Element 1 in Fig. 1) with

(a) only two monopole feeds (Case F1) and (b) a simple conjoined
FIGURE 8. Simulated envelope correlation coefficients (ECC) for the T-shape shorting section (Case F2).
radiated waves of Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2.

than 0.15, and the ECC13 and ECC14 of two antennas in which Modes ② and ③ occur. Thus, effects of the band-
different FC2A elements are even less than 0.01. pass filter are small or can be ignored for the excitation of
To further demonstrate effects of the monopole feed and Modes ② and ③.
distributed bandpass filter, the case with only two monopole
feeds in the FC2A element [see Case F1 in Fig. 9(a)] and the IV. THE BACKCOVER FOUR-ANTENNA MODULE
case with a simple conjoined T-shape shorting section in the As shown in Fig. 3, the B4A module comprises four
FC2A element [see Case F2 in Fig. 9(b)] are studied. sub-patches printed on a 0.4 mm thick FR4 substrate which
Fig. 10 shows the simulated S parameters of Ports 1 and 2 is spaced 0.6 mm above a ground plane of 35 mm × 35 mm.
in Cases F1 and F2. The S11 and S22 curves in Fig. 10(a) The four sub-patches respectively excited by Ports 5-8 pro-
show two resonant modes for both Ports 1 and 2 are excited vide four MIMO antennas. Each sub-patch of 13 mm ×
at similar frequencies as those of Modes ② and ③ in Fig. 4. 13 mm is excited by a probe feed and loaded with two
The S12 between Ports 1 and 2 is also less than −12 dB for shorting pins. Adjacent sub-patches are spaced by 2.3 mm
Modes ② and ③. and 90-degree sequentially rotated to form a compact size
On the other hand, the S11 and S22 curves in Fig. 10(b) show of 28.3 mm × 28.3 mm.
that Mode ① is excited at about 3.7 GHz in Case F2, with A central disk of diameter 8 mm is also embedded and
small effects on the excitation of Modes ② and ③. However, spaced 0.4 mm to the inner curved corners of four sub-
the S12 between Ports 1 and 2 reaches about −7.5 dB. This patches. Orthogonal orientation of the four sub-patches and
is owing to the direct connection of the radiating portions of the central disk embedded in the module center leads to
two antennas in the FC2A element. decreased ECC and enhanced port isolation of the four anten-
When compared to the results in Fig. 4, in which the dis- nas in the module.
tributed bandpass filter is introduced in the conjoined section, Each antenna generates two resonant modes including
the S12 decreases to less than −13 dB. In addition, it is worth the 0.25λ mode and 0.5λ mode at nearby frequencies to
noting that the introduced bandpass filter has small effects on cover the operating band of 6.425-8.4 GHz. The simulated
Modes ② and ③. This behavior is related to the effective S parameters of Ports 5-8 in the B4A module are shown in
capacitance contributed by the distributed capacitor in the Fig. 11. Both the S55 and S66 in Fig. 11(a) show two resonant
bandpass filter decreasing quickly at higher frequencies at modes at about 6.7 and 8.2 GHz and cover 6.425-8.4 GHz

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FIGURE 10. Simulated S parameters of Ports 1 and 2. (a) Case F1.

(b) Case F2. FIGURE 11. Simulated S parameters of Ports 5-8 in the B4A module.
(a) The S55 , S66 . (b) The S56 , S57 , S58 .

(see the colored frequency region in the figure). For the S77
and S88 respectively for Ports 7 and 8, they are the same as the
S55 and S66 and are not shown in the figure. The transmission
coefficients of Port 5 to Ports 6-8 are shown in Fig. 11(b). The
S56 , S57 , and S58 are all less than -11 dB across the operating
band.
Note that, by adjusting the length (13 mm here) of each
sub-patch, which is about 0.43λg with respect to 8.2 GHz
(λg is the guided wavelength of the module substrate with
an effective relative permittivity 1.45), we can adjust the
second mode (0.5λ mode) excited in the operating band. For
the first mode (0.25λ mode) at about 6.7 GHz, it can be
finely adjusted by varying the shorting pin positions which
are spaced 0.5 mm to the centerline of each sub-patch. FIGURE 12. Excited surface current distributions on the top patches of
Fig. 12 also shows the corresponding surface current distri- the B4A module excited by Port 5; other ports are terminated to 50 ohms.
(a) 6.7 GHz. (b) 8.2 GHz.
butions on the sub-patches of the B4A module at 6.7 GHz and
8.2 GHz for comparison. The surface current distributions
are excited by Port 5 with other ports (Ports 6-8) terminated improved impedance matching for the 0.5λ mode than the
to 50 ohms. One can observe that the surface currents flow 0.25λ mode seen in Fig. 11(a).
towards two shorting pins in Fig. 12(a), which indicates that Fig. 13 shows the simulated antenna efficiency of Ports 5
the shorting pin locations have stronger effects on the 0.25λ and 6 in the B4A module. The antenna efficiency for each
mode excitation. antenna varies from about 60% to 80% in the operating
Conversely, the surface currents of the 0.5λ mode flow band. Fig. 14 shows the simulated ECC for any two radiated
from one edge, through the two shorting pins, to the opposite waves of Ports 5-8 in the B4A module. Again, we eval-
edge of the sub-patch. This suggests that the shorting pins uate the ECC based on using the far-field electric fields
have small effects on the 0.5λ mode excitation. In addition, of the radiated wave [30]. The ECC56 , ECC57 , and ECC58
stronger surface currents are seen in the central disk for the for two waves generated by the B4A module is lower
excitation of the 0.5λ mode at 8.2 GHz, which accounts for than 0.15.

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FIGURE 13. Simulated antenna efficiency of Ports 5 and 6 in the B4A FIGURE 15. Simulated ECC for two waves radiated by Port 5 in the B4A
module. module and either Ports 1 or 2 in Element 1.

FIGURE 14. Simulated ECC for the radiated waves of Ports 5-8 in the B4A
module.

Additionally, as shown in Fig. 15, the ECC51 and ECC52

for two waves radiated by Port 5 in the B4A module and either
Ports 1 or 2 in Element 1 are lower than 0.07. This indicates
that any two waves respectively generated by the frame and FIGURE 16. Top, side, and back views of the fabricated hybrid MIMO
backcover antennas in this study show small correlation, antennas.
which is favorable for MIMO applications.

V. FABRICATED HYBRID MIMO ANTENNAS measured reflection coefficients S55 , S66 , S77 , and S88 in
Fig. 16 shows the top, side, and bottom views of the fabricated Fig. 18(a)]. Two resonant modes as studied in Section IV are
hybrid MIMO antennas, in which the dimensions of four generated for each antenna to form the operating band. The
frame antennas and four backcover antennas follow those measured results also agree with the representative simulated
given in Figs. 1-3. Fig. 17(a) and (b) shows respectively S55 shown in the figure.
the measured reflection coefficients and transmission coef- The measured transmission coefficients of two adjacent
ficients of Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2. Those of Ports 5-8 ports (S56 , S58 ) are less than about -12 dB over the operating
in the B4A module are shown in Fig. 18. band, while that of two opposite ports (S57 ) are less than about
For the 4 frame antennas with Ports 1-4, the measured -15 dB [see Fig. 18(b)]. The measured results are like the
reflection coefficients S11 , S22 , S33 , and S44 all show three simulated ones in Fig. 11(b).
resonant modes as analyzed in Section III to form the 5G/6G We further evaluate the radiation characteristics of the
band of 3.3-8.4 GHz [see Fig. 17(a)]. The measured reflection fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas. Fig. 19 shows the mea-
coefficients conform with the simulated S11 shown in the surement setup of the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas in
figure, which is the representative simulated result of the our far-field anechoic chamber. Based on applying the Great
frame antenna. The measured transmission coefficients S12 , circle test method [31] for mobile device antennas, we can
S13 , and S14 shown in Fig. 17(b) are also like the simulated obtain the three-dimensional radiated power for each antenna.
S12 in Fig. 4 and the simulated S13 , S14 in Fig. 7. The antenna efficiency for each antenna is then evaluated.
On the other hand, each antenna of the B4A module with Fig. 20(a) and (b) show respectively the measured antenna
Ports 5-8 covers the 6G band of 6.425-8.4 GHz [see the efficiency of Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2 and Ports 5-8

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FIGURE 18. Measured S parameters of Ports 5-8 in the B4A module.

FIGURE 17. Measured S parameters of Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2.
(a) Reflection coefficients. (b) Transmission coefficients.
(a) Reflection coefficients. (b) Transmission coefficients.

in the B4A module. The measured antenna efficiency varies

from about 52% to 84% for the 4 frame antennas (Ports 1-4).
Those for the 4 backcover antennas range from about 60%
to 80%. The measured results also respectively conform to
the representative simulated antenna efficiency of Port 1 and
Port 5 included in the figure for comparison.
With the use of measured electric fields of the far-field
radiation patterns [30], we evaluate the measured ECC of
the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas. Fig. 21(a) shows the
ECC12 , ECC13 , and ECC14 for Ports 1-4 in Elements 1
and 2, Fig. 21(b) shows the ECC56 , ECC57 , and ECC58 for FIGURE 19. Measurement setup of the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas
Ports 5-8 in the B4A module, and Fig. 21(c) shows the ECC51 in the far-field anechoic chamber.

and ECC52 of two waves radiated by Port 5 in the B4A

module and either Ports 1 or 2 in Element 1.
Those for Ports 1-4 are less than about 0.12 across (x-z and y-z planes), with the +z axis directed outward at the
3.3-8.4 GHz, while those for Ports 5-8 are less than about chassis center. The results at 3.7 GHz, 5.7 GHz, and 7.8 GHz
0.15 across 6.425-8.4 GHz. The ECC51 and ECC52 are even for three resonant modes excited by Port 1 are demonstrated
lower than about 0.03 for two antennas of different structures in Fig. 22. Those at 6.7 GHz and 8.2 GHz for two resonant
(frame and backcover antennas). The ECC results also con- modes excited by Port 5 are shown on Fig. 23.
form to the simulated prediction in Fig. 8 in Section III for the The simulated and measured patterns show good agree-
FC2A elements and Figs. 14, 15 in Section IV for the B4A ment. It is also noted that the radiation patterns for Port 1
module. are more symmetric in the +z and − − z directions. On the
Figs. 22 and 23 plot the representative measured and other hand, the radiation patterns for Port 5 are stronger in the
simulated two-dimensional radiation patterns of Port 1 in +z direction than the − − z direction. The different radiation
Element 1 and Port 5 in the B4A module, respectively. features are reasonable for the frame antenna (Port 1) along
We present the Eθ and Eϕ patterns in two principal planes the side frame and the backcover antenna (Port 5) backed by

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FIGURE 20. Measured antenna efficiency of Ports 1-8. (a) Ports 1-4 in
Elements 1 and 2. (b) Ports 5-8 in the B4A module.

a ground plane. By applying such hybrid MIMO antennas,

we evaluate their MIMO performance for the 5G/6G smart-
phone application in the following section.

VI. MIMO PERFORMANCE FIELD TEST

Fig. 24 shows the MIMO field test in the campus outdoor
scenario and the measurement setup of the fabricated hybrid FIGURE 21. Measured ECC of the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas.
(a) The ECC12 , ECC13 , and ECC14 for Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2. (b) The
MIMO antennas as 8 or 4 receive (Rx) antennas and 4 trans- ECC56 , ECC57 , and ECC58 for Ports 5-8 in the B4A module. (c) The ECC51
mit (Tx) antennas for transmitting 4 spatial streams. The and ECC52 of two waves radiated by Port 5 in the B4A module and either
Ports 1 or 2 in Element 1.
outdoor scenario is our university campus central plaza (about
120 meters × 50 meters in area), which is a popular space
for university activities and can be considered as a practical
outdoor space. Also note that we applied the 4-port patch applied. The measured signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for 4 Rx
antenna based on the reported design in [32] as 4 Tx antennas antennas are recorded. Based on the measured SNR, the
to transmit 4 spatial streams in the MIMO performance field channel capacity for 4 × 4 MIMO is evaluated to be 28.1 and
test. 28.5 bps/Hz, respectively. However, since the multipath prop-
We first evaluated the 4 × 4 MIMO system in 4.8-4.9 GHz agation in the outdoor environment is weaker than the ideal
in the 5G mid-band. We select the 4.8-4.9 GHz band for it rich multipath condition, the measured channel capacity is
far away from the 3.5 GHz band that has been commercially about 23 bps/Hz only.
used in current 5G communications locally, so that the signal The MIMO efficiency evaluated by the measured capacity
interference for the MIMO testing in this study can be negli- divided by the ideal capacity is slightly larger than 80% only.
gible. For the 4 Rx antennas operated in 4.8-4.9 GHz, we use In this case, the 4 × 4 MIMO can support the 64 QAM
Ports 1-4 in Elements 1 and 2. communication; however, it cannot support the 256 QAM
Table 1 lists the measured 4 × 4 MIMO system perfor- communication (the coded bit error rate (BER) is not zero).
mance in the campus outdoor scenario in 4.8-4.9 GHz. The The throughput with 100 MHz bandwidth in 4.8-4.9 GHz is
distance between 4 Tx and 4 Rx antennas is seven meters. only 1947 Mbps, with the corresponding spectral efficiency
Two signal modulations of 64 QAM and 256 QAM are 19.47 bps/Hz.

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FIGURE 23. Measured and simulated far-field radiation patterns of Port 5

in the B4A module. (a) 6.8 GHz. (b) 8.2 GHz.

FIGURE 22. Measured and simulated far-field radiation patterns of Port 1

in Element 1. (a) 3.7 GHz. (b) 5.7 GHz. (c) 7.8 GHz.

Then, we evaluate the 8 × 4 and 4 × 4 MIMO system per-

formance in 7.025-7.125 GHz, which is recently identified for
future IMT applications in the WRC-23 [2]. This IMT band
is also adjacent to 7.125-8.4 GHz scheduled to be resolved in
the WRC-27 [2].
Table 2 lists the measured 8 × 4 and 4 × 4 MIMO system
performance in 7.025-7.125 GHz. The 8 Rx antennas use
Ports 1-8 of the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas. We eval-
uate three cases including the 8 × 4 MIMO with Ports 1-8
used as 8 Rx antennas, the 4 × 4 MIMO with Ports 1-4 FIGURE 24. The MIMO field test in the campus outdoor scenario
(National Sun Yat-sen University Central Plaza) and the measurement
(4 frame antennas) as 4 Rx antennas, and the 4 × 4 MIMO setup of the fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas as 8 or 4 receive (Rx)
with 5-8 (4 backcover antennas) as 4 Rx antennas for 4 spatial antennas and 4 transmit (Tx) antennas for transmitting 4 spatial streams.
streams.
The two 4 × 4 MIMO cases in 7.025-7.125 GHz show
similar measured throughput of about 1.9 Gbps or similar interesting to note that the 8 × 4 MIMO supports 256 QAM
spectral efficiency of about 19 bps/Hz. On the other hand, it is to obtain a throughput of about 2.5 Gbps, which is about 32%

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TABLE 1. Measured 4 × 4 MIMO system performance in the campus outdoor scenario in 4.8-4.9 GHz in the 5G mid-band. The 4 Rx antennas use Ports 1-4
in Elements 1 and 2.

TABLE 2. Measured 8 × 4 and 4 × 4 MIMO system performance in the campus outdoor scenario in 7.025-7.125 GHz in the 6G upper mid-band. The 8 Rx
antennas use Ports 1-8 of the hybrid eight MIMO antennas.

larger than that of the 4 × 4 MIMO. The results indicate that here are promising mobile MIMO antennas for 5G/6G smart-
the hybrid MIMO antennas work for the mid-band 4 × 4 phone applications.
MIMO and upper mid-band 8 × 4 and 4 × 4 MIMO com-
munications. Additionally, the 8 × 4 MIMO shows enhanced VII. CONCLUSION
throughput and spectral efficiency, as compared to the This article presents the first report on hybrid MIMO anten-
4 × 4 MIMO. That is, the hybrid MIMO antennas studied nas for future 5G/6G smartphone applications to cover the

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K.-L. Wong et al.: Hybrid MIMO Antennas Comprising UWB Frame Conjoined Two-Antenna Elements

mid-band 4 × 4 MIMO communications in 3.3-5.0 GHz [13] J. Choi, W. Park, S. Kim, C. You, and K.-L. Wong, ‘‘Low-profile
and the upper mid-band 8 × 4 MIMO communications in high-density MIMO antenna module incorporating a 16-port
configuration for 6G upper mid-band mobile application,’’ in
6.425-8.4 GHz. We studied and fabricated the hybrid MIMO Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Antennas Propag. INC/USNC-URSI Radio
antennas formed by four UWB frame antennas operated Sci. Meeting (AP-S/INC-USNC-URSI), Florence, Italy, Jul. 2024,
in 3.3-8.4 GHz and four backcover or modular antennas pp. 763–764.
[14] K.-L. Wong, C.-H. Shaw, W.-T. Li, and W.-Y. Li, ‘‘Ultra-wideband
operated in 6.425-8.4 GHz. We also addressed the design on-metal four-antenna module for 5G/6G/WiFi-6E IoT mobile device
considerations of the hybrid MIMO antennas. Additionally, MIMO antennas and its field test study,’’ IEEE Access, vol. 12,
we conducted a field test for the MIMO performance of the pp. 166349–166367, 2024.
[15] L. Chang and H. Wang, ‘‘Miniaturized wideband four-antenna mod-
fabricated hybrid MIMO antennas in an outdoor hot spot ule based on dual-mode PIFA for 5G 4 × 4 MIMO applica-
on our university campus. The 8 × 4 MIMO performance tions,’’ IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 5297–5304,
for the fabricated MIMO antennas as eight receive antennas Sep. 2021.
[16] K.-L. Wong, M.-F. Jian, and W.-Y. Li, ‘‘Low-profile wideband four-
shows a much larger spectral efficiency as compared to that corner-fed square patch antenna for 5G MIMO mobile antenna appli-
for the 4 × 4 MIMO scenarios with either four frame or cation,’’ IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 20, pp. 2554–2558,
four backcover antennas as receive antennas. The MIMO 2021.
[17] X. Tian and Z. Du, ‘‘Wideband shared-radiator four-element MIMO
performance obtained in this study indicates that the hybrid antenna module for 5G mobile terminals,’’ IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag.,
MIMO antennas work for future 5G/6G smartphones to con- vol. 71, no. 6, pp. 4799–4811, Jun. 2023.
veniently employ at least eight MIMO antennas to achieve an [18] K.-L. Wong, B.-W. Lin, and S.-E. Lin, ‘‘High-isolation conjoined
loop multi-input multi-output antennas for the fifth-generation tablet
enhanced spectral efficiency and therefore a much larger data device,’’ Microw. Opt. Technol. Lett., vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 111–119,
throughout for the user. Jan. 2019.
[19] K.-L. Wong, S.-E. Lin, I. R. R. Barani, and W.-Y. Li, ‘‘One LTE
LB and two conjoined LTE M/HB MIMO antennas with a compact
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[4] (Nov. 29, 2024). Conclusion of Auction of Radio Spectrum band multiantenna MIMO linear patch array,’’ IEEE Access, vol. 10,
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[5] (Nov. 29, 2024). TDRA Announces Allocation of 600 MHz and 6 polarized patch antenna based on two out-of-phase TM10 modes for access-
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600-mhz-and-6-ghz-bands-for-imt/ [25] L. Sun, Y. Li, Z. Zhang, and H. Wang, ‘‘Self-decoupled MIMO antenna pair
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KIN-LU WONG (Fellow, IEEE) received the B.S. CHIA-YING WU (Student Member, IEEE)
degree in electrical engineering from National received the B.S. degree in communications engi-
Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, in 1981, and neering from Feng Chia University, Taichung,
the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineer- Taiwan, in 2024. She is currently pursuing the
ing from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, M.S. degree with National Sun Yat-sen University,
USA, in 1984 and 1986, respectively. Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Her current research interests
From 1986 to 1987, he was a Visiting Scientist include 5G/6G mobile device MIMO antennas and
with the Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, their MIMO system performance evaluation.
Munich, Germany. Since 1987, he has been with
the Electrical Engineering Department, National
Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where he became
a Professor, in 1991. From 1998 to 1999, he was a Visiting Scholar with
the ElectroScience Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, WAN-TING LI (Student Member, IEEE) received
USA. He was elected to be the Sun Yat-sen Chair Professor and the Dis- the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Feng
tinguished Chair Professor of NSYSU, in 2005 and 2017, respectively; a Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, in 2022. She is
Distinguished Researcher with the National Science and Technology Council currently pursuing the M.S. degree with National
of Taiwan, in 2012; and the National Chair Professor and the Lifetime Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Her
National Chair Professor of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Taiwan, in current research interests include 5G/6G mobile
2016 and 2023, respectively. He was also the Chairperson of the Elec- device MIMO antennas and higher-order MIMO
trical Engineering Department, from 1994 to 1997; the Vice President of system performance evaluation.
the Research Affairs, from 2005 to 2007; and the Senior Vice President
with NSYSU, from 2007 to 2012. He is currently the Director of the 6G
Communication and Sensing Research Center, funded by the MOE. He has
authored more than 600 refereed journal articles and 300 conference papers
and has personally supervised 57 graduated Ph.D. He holds more than
300 patents, including 106 U.S. patents. He is the author of Design of WEI-YU LI (Member, IEEE) was born in Taipei,
Nonplanar Microstrip Antennas and Transmission Lines (Wiley), in 1999, Taiwan, in 1981. He received the B.S. degree
Compact and Broadband Microstrip Antennas (Wiley), in 2002, and Planar in electrical engineering from Feng Chia Univer-
Antennas for Wireless Communications (Wiley), in 2003. His published sity, Taichung, Taiwan, in 2004, and the M.S.
articles have been cited more than 38,000 times with an H-index of 91 in and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from
Google Scholar. National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), Kaoh-
Dr. Wong served as an IEEE AP-S AdCom Member, an IEEE Transac- siung, Taiwan, in 2006 and 2009, respectively.
tions on Antennas and Propagation (TAP) Track Editor/an Associate Editor, After graduating from NSYSU, in 2009, he has
an IEEE TAP Paper Awards Committee member, and an AP-Society Field been with the Information and Communication
Awards Committee Member. He was also a PE7 Panel Member of the Research Laboratories (ICL), Industrial Technol-
European Research Council Advanced Grant Panel, in 2015, 2017, and 2019; ogy Research Institute (ITRI), Hsinchu, Taiwan, participating in and leading
and a Chief Consultant of the Institute of Antenna Engineers of Taiwan. advanced research for the development of emerging wireless antenna tech-
He received the Outstanding Research Award (three times) from the Taiwan nologies. From April 2012 to October 2012, he was an Exchange Guest
National Science Council, in 1995, 2000, and 2002. He also received the Researcher with the National Institute of Information and Communications
Outstanding Electrical Engineering Professor Award from the Institute of Technology (NICT), Tokyo, Japan. He is currently a Technology Manager
Electrical Engineers of Taiwan, in 2003, and the Outstanding Engineering with ITRI. He has authored and co-authored 35 refereed journal articles and
Professor Award from the Institute of Engineers of Taiwan, in 2004. In 2008, 40 conference papers. He holds more than 70 patents, including U.S., Taiwan,
the research achievements on handheld device antennas of NSYSU Antenna China, and EU patents. His published articles have been cited more than
Laboratory led by him was selected to be the top 50 scientific achieve- 2,150 times with an H-index of 24 in Google Scholar.
ments of Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology in the past 50 years, Dr. Li served as an International Steering Committee Member for ISAP,
from 1959 to 2009. He was a recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Research from 2019 to 2022; and an AdCom Member for the Institute of Antenna Engi-
Award of the Pan Wen Yuan Foundation and was selected as top 100 Honor neers of Taiwan, from 2014 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2023. He also served as
of Taiwan by Global Views Monthly, in 2010, for his contribution to mobile a member of the Judge Panel of the National Terminal Antenna Design Com-
antenna research. He was also a recipient of the Academic Award from the petition, organized by Taiwan Ministry of Economics, from 2014 to 2024.
Taiwan Ministry of Education, in 2012. He and his graduate students received He received the Young Scientist Award ISAP, in 2007, and the Best Paper
the Best Paper Award (APMC Prize) from 2008 APMC; and the Best Award (APMC Prize) APMC, in 2008. He has been a Principal Investigator
Student Paper Award/Young Scientist Award from 2007 ISAP, 2008 APMC, and a Co-Principal Investigator of many research projects in ITRI and has
2009 ISAP, 2010 ISAP, 2012 ISAP, and 2016 ISAP. His graduate students received numerous recognitions, including the First Prize of the Outstand-
also won the first prize of the 2007 and 2009 Taiwan National Mobile ing Research Award of ITRI, in 2010; the Solar Industrial Award (SIA)
Handset Antenna Design Competition. He was awarded the Best Associate of Europe, in 2011; the Outstanding Innovation Award of ITRI, in 2013;
Editor two times (2015 and 2016) for IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND the Second Prize of the Outstanding Research Award of ITRI, in 2014;
PROPAGATION. He was elected as a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, the 2015 Research and Development 100 Award Finalist of the U.S.; the
in both 2014 and 2015, and an Elsevier Most Cited Researcher, in 2015. Outstanding Innovation Award of ITRI, in 2017; the First Prize of the
In 2022, he was selected by [Link] to be ranked #99 in the Full Outstanding Industrialization Award of ITRI, in 2017; the Second Prize of
World Ranking and #1 in the Full Taiwan Ranking in the 2022 Edition of the Outstanding Industrialization Award of ITRI, in 2020; the Third Prize
Ranking of Top 1000 Scientists in the field of electronics and electrical of the Outstanding Industrialization Award of ITRI, in 2021; and the First
engineering. He also served as the Chair for the Judge Panel of the National Prize of the Outstanding Research Award of ITRI, in 2024. He also received
Communication Antenna Design Competition organized by Taiwan Min- the Outstanding Lecturer Award of ITRI, in 2013; the International Paper
istry of Economics, from 2014 to 2024. He served as the General Chair Award of ICL of ITRI, in 2020; and the Annual Paper Award of ITRI, in
for 2012 APMC, 2014 ISAP, and 2016 APCAP held at Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2023 and 2024. He also served as the Chair for IEEE AP-S Tainan Chapter,
and served as the Honorary General Chair for 2023 APMC held at Taipei, from 2021 to 2022.
Taiwan.

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