The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Ho-seong Lee) is expected to accelerate the commercialization of 6G by localizing 6G antenna measurement equipment.

The Korea Standards Institute recently announced that it has succeeded in localizing performance measurement equipment for 6G communication antennas.

Generally, as the frequency band increases, the communication speed increases, but the communication distance decreases. 6G communication (planned for 7-24 GHz) has a higher frequency band than the current 5G communication (3.5 GHz), so antenna-related technologies are needed to solve the problem of shortened communication distance.

In order for the 6G antenna, which incorporates so many technologies, to operate properly, performance measurements must be conducted first. This is because precise performance measurements can improve the cause of antenna malfunctions and improve quality at the prototype stage, as well as shorten the mass production period.

The KRISS electromagnetic measurement group research team has developed a 6G antenna measurement equipment based on a non-metallic sensor that applies an optical method.

To evaluate the performance of an antenna, the electromagnetic waves generated by the antenna are measured at a certain distance from the sensor. Previously, when using metal sensors, the coupling phenomenon, which is a characteristic of the metal's electromagnetic reflection, occurred, causing distortion in the measured values. However, this problem was easily solved by replacing it with a non-metallic sensor the size of a grain of rice.

The distance from the sensor when measuring the antenna was also reduced from several meters to several millimeters, and the measurement time was also reduced by more than 1/10. Furthermore, while existing measurements were only possible in very large, fixed, dedicated measurement facilities such as electromagnetic wave anechoic chambers, the measurement equipment developed by KRISS has the advantage of being lightweight enough to be similar in size and weight to a computer body, making it easy to move and allowing measurements in general laboratories.

KRISS transferred the technology to Eastphotonics Co., Ltd., a company in the optical fiber communication and repeater field, for a technology fee of 300 million won, and signed an agreement ceremony at the administrative building of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science on April 8.

KRISS Senior Researcher Hong Young-pyo said, “Currently, domestic 6G-related research is focused only on materials and components, and there is no research and development on measurement equipment.” He added, “Based on the unfortunate experience with the previous 28 GHz 5G communication, 6G infrastructure construction should be prioritized, and measurement equipment development will play a key role in this.”

Eastphotonics CEO Seok Ho-jun stated, “Until now, smartphone and base station antenna measuring equipment were all expensive foreign products, but we will work closely with KRISS to take the lead in domestic production of 6G antenna measuring equipment.” He added, “Unlike existing measuring equipment, it is lightweight and allows for mobile measurements, so we will steadily establish a commercialization plan based on this strength.”