Development of a universal Near-Field Antenna Test Range
In the framework of French government funding towards acceleration strategy for 5G, TOPTEN project, submitted by Kapteos with CEA Leti and Telecom Paris as partners, was awarded in fall 2022. After one year of R&D, we are pleased to announce that the universal Near-Field Antenna Test Range (NF-ATR) will come alive second half 2024.
Based on Kapteos fully dielectric optical RX antennas, the NF-ATR will allow to get:
the far field antenna radiation pattern of antennas and arrays of antennas from their near-field mapping,
the absorbed power density at the skin surface for dosimetry assessment above 6 GHz,
the SAR value inside liquid phantoms below 6 GHz.
Benefits brought by this paradigm shift from far-field to near-field measurements
Compared to classical ATR, this innovative solution requires:
no more anechoic chamber,
no more incessant calibration of the RX antenna used for the measurement,
no more dozens of RX antennas to cover the sub-GHz up to 60 GHz frequency range,
no more high cost and high losses RF cables,
no more tricky mechanical placement of the antenna under test.
What is required is:
a standard room of only 10 square meters,
a calibration per year,
a single optical RX antenna to cover sub-GHz up to 60 GHz,
and nothing else.
Preliminary specifications
Mapping on flat, cylindrical or spherical surfaces permit to adapt to any kind of antennas and arrays of antennas. The sphere diameter for the spherical mapping can be adjusted from 0 up to 300 mm. In case of cylindrical mapping, the cylinder height can be larger than 400 mm and its diameter can be adjusted from 0 up to 600 mm. Lastly, for the flat mapping, it can be carried out on a square surface with a 0 to 300 mm edge and a vertical position that can be set over a 200 mm range.
Mechanical positioning accuracy with respect to the antenna under test is better than 200 µm, leading to a λ/25 accuracy at 60 GHz. Both polarizations (CoPol and CrossPol) can be measured and the result can be viewed in real time during E-field mapping on the window of the NF-ATR driving software as shown here.
Depending on the type of measurement (scalar or vector), either E-field strength magnitude or both E-field strength magnitude and phase can be measured. Measurements can also be carried out in the time domain. As Kapteos produces optical RX antennas both for low K and high K media, NF-ATR can be used for near E-field mapping of antennas and arrays of antennas but also for mapping of SAR and power density inside liquid phantoms.
Contribute to the final step of development
NF-ATR being still in development for the next 10 months, we would be happy to know your needs in order to embed useful functionalities for you. For that purpose, you can indicate on that request form your wishes and own specifications. We will do our best to take into account your wishes in our final development step.