Abstract
Phased-array antennas comprise a demanding antenna design methodology for commercial wireless communication systems or military radar systems. In addition to these two important applications, the phased-array antennas can be used in beamforming for wireless charging. In this study, a four-way analog beamforming front-end module (FEM) for a hybrid beamforming system is developed for 2.4 GHz operation. In a hybrid beamforming scheme, an analog beamforming FEM in which the phase and amplitude of RF signal can be adjusted between the RF chain and phased-array antenna is required. With the beamforming and beam steering capability of the phased-array antennas, wireless RF power can be transmitted with high directivity to a designated receiver for wireless charging. The four-way analog beamforming FEM has a 32 dB gain dynamic range and a phase shifting range greater than 360°. The maximum output RF power of the four-way analog beamforming FEM is 40 dBm (=10 W) when combined the four individual RF paths are combined.