Real-time two-dimensional beam steering with gate-tunable materials: a theoretical investigation

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Leaky-wave antennas are crucial for beam scanning applications.
• Traditional electrical control methods for 2-D beam scanning face challenges in chip-scale terahertz designs due to complex biasing networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel leaky-wave antenna with real-time, two-dimensional (2-D) beam scanning capability at a single frequency.
• To overcome the limitations of traditional pixel-by-pixel electrical control in terahertz antenna designs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a graphene sheet on a metal-backed substrate.
• Implemented a novel biasing configuration with two orthogonal, decoupled one-dimensional biasing groups.
• Employed a holographic technique to determine the graphene conductivity profile for desired radiation angles.

Main Results:

• Achieved 2-D beam scanning in elevation and azimuth planes via electrical control.
• Demonstrated dynamic control by applying one-dimensional biasing, enabling monotonic and sinusoidal impedance variations.
• Showcased a simple, highly integrated, and electronically reconfigurable design for real-time control of beam direction and beamwidth.

Conclusions:

• The proposed antenna design offers a simplified and effective solution for 2-D beam scanning in the terahertz regime.
• The innovative biasing strategy overcomes the complexity of traditional methods, enabling chip-scale integration.
• The concept is adaptable to other gate-tunable materials, broadening its applicability.