Active Probe Array Structure for Assessment of mmWave Antenna Arrays

Millimeter wave antenna arrays are an increasingly vital part of modern communications and radar applications. To produce these devices in large quantities, manufacturers require fast and reliable measurement equipment, which ensures quality, interoperability, and adherence to regulatory norms. In this work we present an active probe array structure (PAS), which enables over-the-air (OTA) measurements of radiation characteristics in a very fast, compact and reproducible manner. No relative movement between antenna under test (AUT) and PAS is needed, making the system ideal for cost-effective large-scale characterization and production test scenarios. We demonstrate and discuss how the near-field (NF) OTA measurements can be used by this system to reconstruct the far-field (FF) antenna patterns of AUTs.