Guidelines for millimeter-wave antenna measurements

The characterization of physically small antennas in the millimeter-wave range has proven to be a challenge. Several research groups have developed new antenna measurement systems to be able to characterize millimeter-wave antennas. These measurement systems mainly focus on the establishment of a well-defined connection between test equipment and the antenna-under-test (AUT) for radiation pattern measurements. However, uncertainties affecting the measurement results are not always well understood. We have investigated the effect of misalignment, the effectiveness of an anechoic environment for frequencies up to 90 GHz and the impact of spurious radiation of the probe.