MilliBox is a revolutionary antenna measurement chamber test equipment product line that consists of a mmWave anechoic chamber and 3D antenna positioner. These products are highly effective for providing antenna radiation patterns and other key over-the-air (OTA) metrics quickly and efficiently for applications such as 5G, 6G, 60GHz, mmWave radar, automotive radar, and sub-THz.
About MilliBox
With over 20 years of mmWave antenna, RFIC, and systems development experience, the MilliBox team has perfected antenna testing solutions for applications between 18GHz and 330GHz by applying 3 fundamental principles to every MilliBox product.
- Modularity – understanding that not one size fits all. In particular, far-field dimension is critical to proper antenna radiation pattern measurements. The modular “cubes” of our anechoic chambers can be configured to meet your far-field requirements.
- Flexibility – MilliBox software is written in Python and delivered in open form source. It runs on any operating system and integrates drivers for a vast majority of existing instruments from all top brands. Updates are free for life and expendability is limitless.
- Affordability – realizing everybody has choices and that our systems are simple and to the point. You could create your own. But the questions is whether it is a good use of your teams’ effort and will it perform, or should you secure your project schedule by getting a readily available MilliBox system in your antenna test lab.
At the end of the day, MilliBox is the most used benchtop antenna test system in the industry and is used by most semiconductor companies as well as a vast network of universities, paving the way for the development of next generation mmWave and sub-THz applications.
Products
Compact Anechoic Chambers
MilliBox line of modular mmWave anechoic chambers are cost effective and modular, thereby addressing the shortfall of other systems. The anechoic chambers are designed to test antenna radiation patterns over-the-air (OTA) and are small enough so that MilliBox chambers can comfortably fit on a lab benchtop.
MilliBox anechoic chambers are defined by two key parameters: cavity size and length. The cavity size is selected to accommodate the size of your positioner and device-under-test (DUT). The length is selected to accommodate the far-field distance of your antenna.
The MBX0x series is made of 60cm (24″) cubic modules and the MBX3x series is made of 80cm (30″) cubic modules. The chamber size, in number of “cubes”, is selected to satisfy your far-field requirements, and extension cubes can be added later, if the need arises.
Antenna Positioners
MilliBox chambers are equipped with 3D antenna positioners also called gimbals. The positioners are made of plastic material thereby reducing stray mmWave reflection. The positioners control interface is USB and the software controller is provided in Python source code. As a result, the user can modify and augment the software capabilities easily. Above all, the controller can run on any platform.
Because mmWave DUT have different requirements, several types of positioners are available. GIM04 HV positioners control the Azimuth and Elevation, while GIM05 Spherical Roll positioners measure using native spherical coordinates. Both series of antenna positioners cover the full radiation sphere with resolution less than 0.1 degree.
Application Specific Configurations
MilliBox offers complete solution packages tailored to specific applications. For instance, MBX32E for other-the-air (OTA) sub-THz antenna measurement and MBX33R for mmWave radar performance testing.
Solutions
Read more about specific topics that are trending in the industry, where discussions can provide you the right perspective for the realization for your antenna test lab or radar performance setup selection.
Resources
Additional resources below are available to help describe how MilliBox products can satisfy your antenna testing needs.
Build Your MilliBox
Build Your MilliBox is a web application that allows you to input your test requirements and provides options for the compact anechoic chamber and positioner choice to fit your DUT. Accessories can also be added to your selection and an RFQ can be sent directly to the MilliBox sales team for prompt response.
