Novel Tri-Band MIMO Antenna Module with Metamaterial Technology for 5G IoT Applications

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia have developed a novel tri-band Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna module that employs metamaterial (MTM) technology to enhance performance. The compact antenna module, measuring 36 x 36 x 1.6 mm, operates at 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 28 GHz and shows significant improvements in bandwidth, isolation, and gain compared to conventional antennas.

Key Takeaways:

  • The proposed MIMO antenna module features a multi-stubbed radiating patch, a partial ground plane, and a 2 x 1 epsilon-negative MTM array positioned between antenna elements in an orthogonal layout.
  • The integration of MTM technology improves the antenna's overall performance by influencing phase, amplitude, and electromagnetic field distribution, resulting in bandwidth enhancements of 10.01%, 6.4%, and 4.43% for the 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 28 GHz bands, respectively.
  • The isolation levels improved from 20 dB to 24 dB in microwave bands and from 26 dB to 32 dB in the millimeter-wave band, ensuring reduced interference.
  • The realized gain also increased from 3.6 dBi, 4.2 dBi, and 7.4 dBi to 4.8 dBi, 5.3 dBi, and 9.3 dBi across the respective frequency bands.
  • The proposed MIMO antenna showcases excellent diversity performance with an envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) of below 0.002/0.001/0.0003 across all bands and a diversity gain (DG) exceeding 9.98 dB.
  • Machine learning-based performance verification analysis assessed bandwidth and efficiency, where the K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) model achieved 97.8% accuracy.

Statistics:

  • 36 x 36 x 1.6 mm: the compact size of the proposed MIMO antenna module
  • 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 28 GHz: the operating frequency bands of the proposed MIMO antenna module
  • 10.01%, 6.4%, and 4.43%: the bandwidth enhancements achieved by the proposed MIMO antenna module for the 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 28 GHz bands, respectively
  • 20 dB to 24 dB and 26 dB to 32 dB: the improvement in isolation levels in microwave and millimeter-wave bands, respectively
  • 3.6 dBi, 4.2 dBi, and 7.4 dBi to 4.8 dBi, 5.3 dBi, and 9.3 dBi: the increase in realized gain across the respective frequency bands
  • 0.002/0.001/0.0003: the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) of the proposed MIMO antenna across all bands
  • 9.98 dB: the diversity gain (DG) achieved by the proposed MIMO antenna
  • 97.8%: the accuracy of the K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) model in machine learning-based performance verification analysis

Sources:

  • Metamaterial based tri-band compact MIMO antenna system for 5G IoT applications with machine learning performance verification. Scientific Reports, 2025;15(1):22866.
  • Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. (2025, July 14). Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Reports Findings in Machine Learning. Journal of Engineering, p 4361.