Electromagnetic all-in-one radiation-scattering reconfigurable intelligent metasurface

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetic engineering
• Metamaterials
• Wireless communication

Background:

• Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) offer significant potential but are limited to specific modes (e.g., scattering).
• Integrating diverse operational modes like radiation and scattering into a single RIS is challenging, hindering multi-scenario applications and increasing costs.
• Existing RIS designs face difficulties in achieving on-demand polarization and phase control within a compact, multifunctional platform.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel electromagnetic all-in-one RIS design for integrated, multifunctional, and multi-scenario applications.
• To develop a flexible framework for designing radiation-scattering meta-atoms with on-demand polarization and phase control.
• To reduce hardware costs and physical size while enhancing RIS capabilities for future wireless communication.

Main Methods:

• A meta-atom design integrating a radiating patch for polarization control and a 3-dB coupler with diodes for mode switching and phase control.
• Loading diodes (PIN or varactor) on the coupler for 1-bit or continuous phase regulation.
• Incorporating capacitors on the radiating patch to customize initial radiation and scattering phases.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated an all-in-one radiation-scattering meta-atom with on-demand polarization and phase modulation.
• Achieved integrated amplitude control, phase control, and customizable initial phase properties within a single meta-atom.
• Fabricated a [Formula: see text] radiation-scattering RIS, validating its performance for both radiation (phased arrays) and scattering (non-line-of-sight communication) modes.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework successfully bridges the gap in electromagnetic radiation-scattering systems by enabling arbitrary polarization and phase modulation.
• This all-in-one RIS design offers a promising, cost-effective, and compact solution for multifunctional capabilities.
• The technology presents a significant advancement for 6G wireless communication systems.