Mutual Coupling Reduction in Dielectric Resonator Antennas Using Metasurface Shield for 60-GHz MIMO Systems

An effective technique for reducing the mutual coupling between two dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) operating at 60-GHz bands is presented. This is achieved by incorporating a metasurface between the two DRAs, which are arranged in the H-plane. The metasurface comprises an array of unique split-ring resonator (SRR) cells that are integrated along the E-plane. The SRR configuration is designed to provide bandstop functionality within the antenna bandwidth. By loading the DRA with 1 × 7 array of SRR unit cells, a 28-dB reduction in the mutual coupling level is achieved without compromising the antenna performance. The measured isolation of the prototype antenna varies from -30 to -46.5 dB over 59.3-64.8 GHz. The corresponding reflection coefficient of the DRA is better than -10 dB over 56.6-64.8 GHz.