SPRADJ6 November   2026 AWR1243 , AWR1443 , AWR1642 , AWR1843 , AWR2188 , AWR2243 , AWR2544 , AWR2944 , AWR2944P , AWR6443 , AWR6843 , AWRL1432 , AWRL6432 , AWRL6844 , AWRL6888 , IWR1443 , IWR1642 , IWR1843 , IWR2188 , IWR2243 , IWR2944 , IWR6243 , IWR6443 , IWR6843 , IWRL1432 , IWRL6432 , IWRL6432W , IWRL6843 , IWRL6844

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3. 1Introduction
    1. 1.1 What is a mmWave Radar Antenna?
    2. 1.2 Features of mmWave Radar Antennas
      1. 1.2.1 Fundamental Antenna Parameters
      2. 1.2.2 Fundamental Antenna Array Parameters
    3. 1.3 Antenna Type Selection
    4. 1.4 Critical Sections of Antenna
      1. 1.4.1 Source
      2. 1.4.2 Feeding Network
      3. 1.4.3 Radiating Element
    5. 1.5 Antenna Array and Pattern Selection
      1. 1.5.1 Virtual Antenna Array
    6. 1.6 PCB Material Impact on Antenna Performance
  4. 2Antenna Design Flow
    1. 2.1 End Application Evaluation
    2. 2.2 Form Factor and Stack-up Decision
    3. 2.3 Link Budget and Antenna Feature Definition
    4. 2.4 Single Antenna Element Design
    5. 2.5 Antenna Array Design
    6. 2.6 Layout Creation and Simulation
    7. 2.7 Fabrication and Design Validation
  5. 3Summary
  6. 4References

2.7 Fabrication and Design Validation

After the board layout is finalized, the layout is converted into a Gerber file or assembly file which is used by the fabrication house for board fabrication. Fabrication introduces errors in the board design which is already accounted for in the simulations by applying the known tolerance levels.

The fabricated prototype board is then validated for the antenna performance using different methods. The TX output power is measured across angles to obtain the radiation pattern of the antenna with single element and array excitations. This measurement gives a comparison against simulated radiation pattern.

Loopback measurement also known as two-way radiation measurement and post processing provide the TX-RX loopback gain, SNR and FOV of the complete TX-RX chain. Apart from TX and RX antenna gains, the loopback gain also includes the TX device power, RX signal chain gain and process gain. Both the TX output power and loopback measurements are usually conducted within closed anechoic chamber which is shown in Figure 2-14.

Anechoic Chamber Figure 2-14 Anechoic Chamber

Finally, the board is used for the targeted real world application where the detection capabilities of the system is visualized using point cloud data to confirm the overall performance of the board with respect to the end application.

If there are performance issues with the manufactured board antennas, the root cause is debugged and the board is re-worked or re-fabricated. Re-fabrication can be with or without re-tuning the antenna design using the previous steps.

Once the board is validated with satisfactory performance, the design is standardized for creation or copying into more boards.

Design Example

The fabricated AWRL1422 KTO reference board design is shown in Figure 2-15.

AWRL1422 KTO Reference Board Figure 2-15 AWRL1422 KTO Reference Board