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Electronics
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Advances in MIMO Systems
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Advances in MIMO Systems

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2026 | Viewed by 2405

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Muneeb Ahmad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of IT Convergence Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi-si 39177, Republic of Korea
Interests: next generation wireless communication; MIMO; NOMA; OCDM; AI for wireless networks
Prof. Dr. Soo Young Shin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of IT Convergence Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi-si 39177, Republic of Korea
Interests: 5G & beyond radio access technology; wireless communication and network; embedded system; ICT convergence system etc.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the demand for wireless data continues to surge with the global deployment of 5G, research is actively advancing towards 6G to meet even greater performance requirements. A crucial technology at the heart of this evolution is Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems. MIMO, already pivotal in 5G, will play an even more significant role in 6G by enabling higher data rates, lower latency, enhanced energy efficiency, and increased spectral efficiency.

Recent advances in MIMO technology, such as massive MIMO, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), and hybrid beamforming, are shaping the future of wireless communications. These innovations aim to address challenges related to spectrum scarcity, interference, and the massive connectivity demands of IoT, IIoT, and emerging applications like autonomous systems, multisensory extended reality, and holographic rendering. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques into MIMO systems is expected to optimize resource management, beamforming, and signal processing, further pushing the performance boundaries of wireless networks.

This Special Issue will focus on the latest breakthroughs and technical challenges in MIMO systems, particularly in the context of evolving from 5G to 6G. We seek contributions that address cutting-edge developments in MIMO technology, including, but not limited to, novel architectures, AI-enhanced MIMO design, and experimental results from testbeds and field trials. The aim is to gather innovative research that will accelerate the deployment of future MIMO-based wireless networks.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but need not be limited to) the following:

  • Massive MIMO, hybrid beamforming, and distributed MIMO architectures;
  • AI and machine learning techniques for MIMO optimization, including resource allocation, beamforming, and interference management;
  • Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) for enhancing MIMO systems;
  • Energy efficiency and green communication strategies in MIMO networks;
  • Advanced modulation and coding schemes for MIMO;
  • Security, privacy, and interference management in MIMO systems;
  • Full-duplex MIMO and its role in 6G;
  • Millimeter-wave and terahertz MIMO technologies;
  • Channel modeling and estimation techniques in MIMO for 5G and beyond;
  • Multi-user MIMO for dense wireless environments;
  • Field trials, testbeds, and real-world applications of advanced MIMO systems;
  • Integration of MIMO with edge computing and AI-driven networks.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Muneeb Ahmad
Prof. Dr. Soo Young Shin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • MIMO
  • massive MIMO
  • hybrid beamforming
  • reconfigurable intelligent surfaces
  • AI in MIMO
  • multi-user MIMO
  • millimeter-wave
  • terahertz
  • full-duplex
  • wireless communications

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3810 KiB  
Article
Compact and High-Efficiency Linear Six-Element mm-Wave Antenna Array with Integrated Power Divider for 5G Wireless Communication
by Muhammad Asfar Saeed, Augustine O. Nwajana and Muneeb Ahmad
Electronics 2025, 14(15), 2933; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14152933 - 23 Jul 2025
Viewed by 126
Abstract
Millimeter-wave frequencies are crucial for meeting the high-capacity, low-latency demands of 5G communication systems, thereby driving the need for compact, high-gain antenna arrays capable of efficient beamforming. This paper presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and experimental validation of a compact, high-efficiency 1 × [...] Read more.
Millimeter-wave frequencies are crucial for meeting the high-capacity, low-latency demands of 5G communication systems, thereby driving the need for compact, high-gain antenna arrays capable of efficient beamforming. This paper presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and experimental validation of a compact, high-efficiency 1 × 6 linear series-fed microstrip patch antenna array for 5G millimeter-wave communication operating at 28 GHz. The proposed antenna is fabricated on a low-loss Rogers RO3003 substrate and incorporates an integrated symmetric two-way microstrip power divider to ensure balanced feeding and phase uniformity across elements. The antenna achieves a simulated peak gain of 11.5 dBi and a broad simulated impedance bandwidth of 30.21%, with measured results confirming strong impedance matching and a return loss better than −20 dB. The far-field radiation patterns demonstrate a narrow, highly directive beam in the E-plane, and the H-plane results reveal beam tilting behavior, validating the antenna’s capability for passive beam steering through feedline geometry and element spacing (~0.5λ). Surface current distribution analysis confirms uniform excitation and efficient radiation, further validating the design’s stability. The fabricated prototype shows excellent agreement with the simulation, with minor discrepancies attributed to fabrication tolerances. These results establish the proposed antenna as a promising candidate for applications requiring compact, high-gain, and beam-steerable solutions, such as 5G mm-wave wireless communication systems, point-to-point wireless backhaul, and automotive radar sensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in MIMO Systems)
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16 pages, 6343 KiB  
Article
Smart Sensor Platform for MIMO Antennas with Gain and Isolation Enhancement Using Metamaterial
by Kranti Dhirajsinh Patil, Dinesh M. Yadav and Jayshri Kulkarni
Electronics 2025, 14(14), 2892; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14142892 - 19 Jul 2025
Viewed by 183
Abstract
In modern wireless communication systems, achieving high isolation and consistent signal gain is essential for optimizing Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna performance. This study presents a metamaterial-integrated smart sensor platform featuring a hexagonal two-element MIMO antenna designed to improve isolation and directive gain. Constructed [...] Read more.
In modern wireless communication systems, achieving high isolation and consistent signal gain is essential for optimizing Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna performance. This study presents a metamaterial-integrated smart sensor platform featuring a hexagonal two-element MIMO antenna designed to improve isolation and directive gain. Constructed on an FR4 substrate (1.6 mm thick), the proposed antenna configurations include a base hexagonal patch, an orthogonally oriented two-element system (TEH_OC), and further enhanced variants employing metamaterial arrays as the superstrate and reflector (TEH_OC_MTS and TEH_OC_MTR). The metamaterial structures significantly suppress mutual coupling, yielding superior diversity parameters such as Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC), Mean Effective Gain (MEG), and Channel Capacity Loss (CCL). All configurations were fabricated and validated through comprehensive anechoic chamber measurements. The results demonstrate robust isolation and radiation performance across the 3 GHz and 5 GHz bands, making these antennas well-suited for deployment in compact, low-latency smart sensor networks operating in 5G and IoT environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in MIMO Systems)
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15 pages, 1285 KiB  
Article
Neural-Network-Based Interference Cancellation for MRC and EGC Receivers in Large Intelligent Surfaces for 6G
by Mário Marques da Silva, Gelson Pembele and Rui Dinis
Electronics 2025, 14(10), 2083; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14102083 - 21 May 2025
Viewed by 747
Abstract
Large Intelligent Surfaces (LISs) have emerged as a promising technology for enhancing spectral efficiency and communication capacity in the Sixth Generation of Cellular Communications (6G). Low-complexity receiver architectures for LISs rely on Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) and Equal Gain Combining (EGC) receivers, often [...] Read more.
Large Intelligent Surfaces (LISs) have emerged as a promising technology for enhancing spectral efficiency and communication capacity in the Sixth Generation of Cellular Communications (6G). Low-complexity receiver architectures for LISs rely on Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) and Equal Gain Combining (EGC) receivers, often complemented by iterative detection techniques for interference mitigation. In this work, we propose a novel approach where a neural network replaces iterative interference cancellation, learning to estimate the transmitted signals directly from the received data, mitigating interference without requiring iterative cancellation. Moreover, this also eliminates the need for channel matrix inversion at each frequency component, as required for Zero Forcing (ZF) and Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE) receivers, reducing computational complexity while still achieving a good performance improvement. The neural network parameters are optimized to balance performance and computational cost. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in MIMO Systems)
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17 pages, 677 KiB  
Article
Effectiveness and Characteristics of Virtual Antennas in the Multiple Signal Classification Algorithm
by Riku Takemoto, Jaesang Cha, Incheol Jeong and Chang-Jun Ahn
Electronics 2025, 14(1), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14010073 - 27 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 806
Abstract
This paper proposes a novel direction of arrival (DoA) estimation method based on the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm using virtual antennas. The MUSIC method is a widely used DoA estimation technique known for its high accuracy and high resolution. However, it has [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a novel direction of arrival (DoA) estimation method based on the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm using virtual antennas. The MUSIC method is a widely used DoA estimation technique known for its high accuracy and high resolution. However, it has a fundamental limitation: when the necessary condition of having more antenna elements at the base station than users is not met, DoA estimation becomes infeasible. To address this limitation, we introduce the concept of virtual antennas, allowing DoA estimation, even under restricted conditions. Virtual antennas are not physically present but can be virtually arranged, enabling the generation of virtual-received signals similar to those of real array antennas. Through simulation experiments, we demonstrate that our approach enables DoA estimation with the MUSIC algorithm even when its necessary conditions are not satisfied. Additionally, this paper explores the characteristics of virtual antennas in detail. We conduct simulation experiments to examine the differences in estimation accuracy between real and virtual antennas, as well as the impact of virtual antenna arrangement and count on estimation accuracy. The results show that, although virtual antennas provide lower estimation accuracy compared to real antennas, their flexible arrangement allows for improved resolution when signal sources are closely spaced by increasing the spacing between virtual antennas. Furthermore, under Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) conditions, increasing the number of virtual antennas enhances estimation accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in MIMO Systems)
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