Characterization of multiple‐input‐multiple‐output antennas under different multipath environments in a reverberation chamber

Multiple‐input‐multiple‐output (MIMO) antennas with different envelope correlation coefficients (ECCs) were designed and characterized in a reverberation chamber (RC) under different fading channels: urban macro, urban micro, and Rayleigh. The generation of different multipath environments and the procedures to estimate MIMO antenna figures of merit are described in detail. The experiment results show the MIMO antenna radiation efficiency remains unchanged as the multipath environment changes. In contrast to the radiation efficiency, ECC has discrepancies between the fading channels, indicating the effect of operating environments on MIMO antenna performance.