Substrate integrated waveguide-dielectric resonator antenna-a review for 5G and 6G emerging technologies

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive review of antennas based on substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) technology employing dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) for emerging fifth-generation and beyond wireless communication systems. The review systematically examines the operating principles, design methodologies, feeding mechanisms, and performance enhancement techniques employed to improve impedance bandwidth, radiation gain, efficiency, and structural compactness. Reported SIW–DRA configurations operating from sub-6 GHz to millimeter-wave (mmWave), D-band, and sub-terahertz frequencies are critically analyzed, encompassing single-element, array, circularly polarized, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architectures. A quantitative meta-analysis is conducted to identify performance trends across different frequency bands and antenna categories, highlighting the trade-offs among bandwidth, gain, efficiency, polarization characteristics, fabrication complexity, and scalability. Furthermore, practical implementation challenges, including fabrication tolerances, dielectric material selection, integration complexity, and mmWave performance trade-offs, are discussed. Emerging research directions involving metasurface-assisted SIW–DRAs, advanced dielectric materials, reconfigurable architectures, and intelligent design optimization for sixth-generation applications are also reviewed. The paper provides a comprehensive reference for researchers and designers seeking high-performance, compact, and highly integrated antenna solutions for next-generation wireless, radar, sensing, and satellite communication systems.