Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

ShavigeMalleshwara Hills, Kumaraswamy Layout, Bangalore – 560 078.
(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to VTU, Approved by AICTE & ISO 9001:2008 Certified )
Accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with ‘A’ grade

Program: B.E. Branch: ECE

Course: Emerging Technology Semester/Section :5th Sem/D
Course Code: 18EC5DMEMT Date: 05-01-2023

A Case Study Report on

MILLIMETER WAVE TECHNOLOGY

SHRAVANI.S 1DS20EC190
JAYA DEEPA.Y 1DS20EC244

Faculty In-charge
Prof. M K Nagachandra
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 ABSTRACT
What Is a Millimeter Wave?

 As implied by the name, millimeter waves are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength (λ) that is
approximately 1 mm (1 to 10 mm, to be more precise). Converting that wavelength into frequency using
the equation f = c/λ, where c is the speed of light (3 x 108 m/s), gives a frequency range of 30-300 GHz.
The millimeter wave band is designated the “extremely high frequency” (EHF) band by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU). The term “millimeter wave” is also often shortened to “mmWave”.
 Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communication has attracted increasing attention as a promising
technology for 5G networks. One of the key architectural features of mm-wave is the possibility of using
large antenna arrays at both the transmitter and receiver sides. Therefore, by employing directional
beamforming, both mm-wave base stations (MBSs) and mm-wave user equipments (MUEs) are capable
of supporting multi-beam simultaneous transmissions. However, most of the existing research results
have only considered a single beam. Thus, the potentials of mm-wave have not been fully exploited yet.
In this context, in order to improve the performance of short-range indoor mm-wave networks with
multiple reflections, we investigate the challenges and potential solutions of downlink multi-user multi-
beam transmission, which can be described as a beamspace multi-user multiple-input multiple-output
(MU-MIMO) technique.
 Millimeter wave has numerous uses, including telecommunications, short-range radar and airport
security scanners. In telecommunications, it is used for high-bandwidth WLANs and short-range
personal area networks (PANs). Its high bandwidth capacity is ideal for applications like short-distance
wireless transmission of ultra-high definition video and communications from small, low-power IoT
devices. The limited propagation distance -- small cell size -- and high data rates make millimeter wave
ideal for communications between autonomous vehicles.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 INTRODUCTION
 WAVE PROPOGATION
 ADVANTAGES
 DISADVANTAGES
 APPLICATIONS
 SUMMARY
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCES

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 INTRODUCTION

Millimeter Wave is also known as MMW, E-band, V-band or Millimetre Wave technology is being rapidly
adopted for users ranging from enterprise level data centres to single consumers with smart phones requiring
higher bandwidth, the demand for newer technologies to deliver these higher data transmission rates is bigger
than ever before.

A wide range of technologies exist for the delivery of high throughput, with fibre optic cable considered to be
the highest standard. However, fibre optics is not unmatched, especially when all considering economic factors.
Millimeter wave wireless technology offers the potential to deliver bandwidth comparable to that of fibre optics
but without the logistical and financial drawbacks of the deployments.

Millimeter waves represent the RF Signal spectrum between the frequencies of 30GHz and 300GHz with a
wavelength between 1 – 10 millimetres but in terms of wireless networking and communications equipment, the
name Millimeter Wave generally corresponds to a few select bands of radio frequencies found around 38, 60
and, more recently, the high potential 70 and 80 GHz bands that have been assigned for the public domain for
the purpose of wireless networking and communications.

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MILLIMETER WAVE PROPAGATION:
Millimeter wave signal propagation is characterized by:

 High free space path loss

 Significant atmospheric attenuation
 Diffuse reflections
 Limited penetration depth

Free Space Path Loss:

One limitation of millimeter wave radio frequency (RF) communication is the free space path loss (FSPL) for
direct line-of-sight communication between two antennas. The FSPL is inversely proportional to the square of
the wavelength.

Atmospheric Attenuation:

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Another drawback of millimeter wave transmission is the atmospheric attenuation. In this range of wavelengths
there is additional attenuation caused by the presence of atmospheric gases - primarily oxygen (O2) and water
vapor (H2O) molecules.

Diffuse Reflection:
Longer wavelengths often rely on direct (specular) reflected power to assist in transmission around obstacles
(think of mirror-like reflection). However, many surfaces appear “rough” to millimeter waves, which results in
diffuse reflections that send the energy in many different directions. 

Limited Penetration:
Because of their shorter wavelengths, millimeter waves do not penetrate deeply into or through most materials.
For example, a study of common building materials found that attenuation ranged from approximately 1 to 6
dB/cm and the penetration losses through a brick wall at 70 GHz may be five times higher than at 1 GHz.
Outdoors, foliage will also block most millimeter wavers. Therefore, most millimeter wave communication is
limited to line-of-sight operation.

ADVANTAGES :

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  Wide bandwidths
 High data rates
 Low latency
 Small antennas
 Limited range
 Limited reflection
 Limited penetration
 Increased resolution.

Wide Bandwidths and High Data Rates

 For communication applications, wide bandwidths mean higher peak data rates. This can mean
the ability to either handle more simultaneous communication channels for a given data rate, or
send more data in a single communication. The lower frequency spectrums are heavily used and,
therefore, do not provide these desirable wide bandwidths. 
 It is because of these wide bandwidths and high data rates that millimeter waves have long been
used in satellite communication at 27.5 GHz and 31 GHz. Advances in high-frequency circuit
technology including silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) and associated lower
manufacturing costs are bringing millimeter wave communications to terrestrial, mask-market
consumer applications like 5G NR. 

Low Latency

 Low latency is important for many time-sensitive applications including industrial automation,
wireless augmented or virtual reality and automated driving systems. The wide bandwidth of
millimeter waves enables shorter transmission time intervals and lower radio-interface latency to
facilitate the introduction of and support for low-latency-sensitive applications.

Small Antennas

 One of the most important advantages of millimeter waves is smaller antennas and the ability to
use a large number of these smaller antenna elements in arrays to enable beamforming. For
example, automotive radars are transitioning from 24 to 77 GHz. The wavelength is more than
three times smaller so the antenna array area can be over nine times smaller.

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Limited Range, Reflection, and Penetration

 The limited range, diffuse reflections, and limited penetration depths can actually be a benefit for
telecommunications. These characteristics are being exploited to allow many small cells to be
placed very near each other without interference. This provides spatial reuse of the frequency
spectrum and, therefore, allows more high bandwidth consumers to be supported in an area.  

Increased Resolution

 In radar applications, the higher frequency and increased bandwidth of millimeter wave signals
support more accurate distance measurements, more accurate velocity measurements, and the
ability to resolve between two closely spaced objects.

DISADVANTAGES:
 More Expensive to Deploy than Sub-6 GHz 5G Networks
 Rural and Urban Applications and Issues Regarding Aesthetics
 Device Compatibility and Other Device-Related Issues

APPLICATIONS:

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  Radio astronomy
 Soil moisture evaluation
 Snow cover measurements
 Iceberg location
 Supplementing optical detection in adverse weather
 Weather mapping
 Measure wind speeds
 Medical treatment.

Radar

 For many years, aerospace radar applications were the primary application of millimeter wave
technology. The wide bandwidths are ideal for determining the distance to an object, for resolving
between two distant objects that are close together and measuring the relative velocity to the target. 
 Because the frequency shift is larger with shorter wavelengths (like millimeter waves), it is easier to
measure the resulting frequency shift. The ability to use smaller multi-element antennas and adaptive
beamforming also make millimeter waves ideal for radar
applications. 

Telecommunications:

 Satellite systems have long used millimeter waves for their communications due to the wide bandwidths,
low latency, small antennas, and multi-antenna array beamforming. These same features are driving
many terrestrial telecommunication networks to employ millimeter waves. 
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  For example, because of the increased bandwidth, millimeter waves can support the wireless
transmission of ultra high definition (UHD) video. In addition, the smaller antennas support integration
into devices like smartphones, digital set top boxes, game stations, and more. Emerging industry
standards that will employ millimeter waves include 5G and IEEE 802.11ad WiGig for Gb/s data rates.

Security Scanners:

 Millimeter waves are also employed for human body security scanners. Thousands of transmit and
receive antennas work together to scan with high precision

 These systems transmit at a frequency range between 70 GHz to 80 GHz and emit only about 1 mW of
power. The millimeter waves pass through most clothing and reflect off the skin and other surfaces back
to the receiving antennas. The received signal can be used to create a detailed image of the individual
and reveal articles hidden under the clothing. The low power and limited penetration depth of millimeter
waves provide improved safety.

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SUMMARY:
 Millimeter waves have long been used in radar applications and are increasingly being applied to new
applications with the most prominent being high data rate telecommunications. The short wavelengths
and unique propagation characteristics provide both challenges and opportunities to design engineers
working in these fields.
 Millimeter wave (MM wave), also known as millimeter band, is the band of spectrum
with wavelengths between 10 millimeters (30 GHz) and 1 millimeter (300 GHz). It is also known as the
extremely high frequency (EHF) band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
 Millimeter wave is a band of electromagnetic spectrum that can be used in a broad range of products and
services, such as high-speed, point-to-point wireless local area networks (WLANs) and broadbanaccess.
In telecommunications, millimeter wave is used for a variety of services on mobile and wireless
networks, as it enables higher data rates than at lower frequencies, such as those used for Wi-Fi and
current cellular networks.

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CONCLUSION:
 With the potential to offer orders of magnitude greater capacity over the current communication systems
Mmwave technology is used.
 The problems related to current communication systems can be solved using Mmwave technology such
as small cells,MIMO,Beemforming etc…
 The global millimeter wave technology market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 35.2% by 2030
which tells that this technology will revolutionize the aspects of next generation.

REFERENCES
 .Survey on Millimeter wave technology by research gate
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252054164_A_survey_of_millimeter-wave_technologies
 .Article on Millimeter wave technology by
https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/millimeter-wave-MM-wave
 .The book MILLIMETER WAVE CIRCUITS ON 5G AND RADAR from Cambridge series

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