This paper presents a wideband and high-gain rectangular microstrip array antenna with a new frequency-selective surface (FSS) designed as a reflector for the sub-6 5G applications. The proposed antenna is designed to meet the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standard for 5G in the mid-band (3.5–5 GHz) applications. The designed antenna configuration consists of 1 × 4 rectangular microstrip array antenna with an FSS reflector to produce a semi-stable high radiation gain. The modeled FSS delivered a wide stopband transmission coefficient from 3.3 to 5.6 GHz and promised a linearly declining phase over the mid-band frequencies. An equivalent circuit (EC) model is additionally performed to verify the transmission coefficient of the proposed FSS structure for wideband signal propagation. A low-cost FR-4 substrate material was used to fabricate the antenna prototype. The proposed wideband array antenna with an FSS reflector attained a bandwidth of 2.3 GHz within the operating frequency range of 3.5–5.8 GHz, with a fractional bandwidth of 51.12%. A high gain of 12.4 dBi was obtained at 4.1 GHz with an improvement of 4.4 dBi compared to the antenna alone. The gain variation was only 1.0 dBi during the entire mid-band. The total dimension of the fabricated antenna prototype is 10.32 λ_o × 4.25 λ_o ×1.295 λ_o at a resonance frequency of 4.5 GHz. These results make the presented antenna appropriate for 5G sub-6 GHz applications.

This article introduces a compact linearly polarized (LP) radial line slot array antenna (RSLA) that incorporates a metamaterial of circular ring resonator (CRR) reflector for improving the bandwidth. Hence, this enables the antenna to operate at n257 (26.5–29.5), n258(24.25–27.5), and n261(27.5–28.35) frequency bands which are standardized by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with a minor reduction of the directivity. Due to the short wavelength of the millimeter wave bands, the technique of the RLSA design has been advantageous for achieving high gain. The prototype of the RLSA antenna and the metamaterial CRR reflector are designed and fabricated at 28 GHz resonance frequency utilizing Rogers 5880 substrate and fed using an SSMA coaxial connector with an air gap cavity equivalent to half guide wavelength (λg/2) between substrate and ground plane. The method of integrating the CRR reflector with the LP-RLSA antenna delivered a passband transmission operating at (22–29.5) GHz. The proposed antenna has a similar agreement between simulated and measured for directivity and bandwidth. it achieved a peak directivity of 20 dB with a squinted main lobe at 12° and a fractional bandwidth of 29.13%. The fabricated RLSA antenna dimensions are 130 mm × 130 mm × 10.65 mm which is compact compared to conventional RLSA antennas.

Radial Line Slot Array (RLSA) antennas are widely recognized for their low profile, high gain, and suitability in satellite communications and wireless applications. This paper presents a comprehensive and systematic literature review (SLR) of performance enhancements, design strategies, and research challenges related to RLSA antennas. Employing a rigorous SLR methodology, we identified, screened, and analyzed 72 relevant studies published over the last decade, selected from four major scientific databases: Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. The review follows a structured protocol, including keyword-based searches, duplication removal, title and abstract screening, and full-text evaluation. Key research trends are synthesized, including advancements in slot configuration, feeding mechanisms, integration with metamaterials, and performance optimization techniques. The study highlights recurring challenges such as bandwidth, gain, sidelobe level limitations, beam shaping complexity, and fabrication constraints. By consolidating findings from 72 systematically screened studies, this paper represents the first systematic review of RLSA antennas. It offers a clear roadmap of current technologies and identifies critical research gaps and future directions for next-generation antenna systems.