A Low-Profile Self-Stealth Programmable Metasurface with In-Band and Out-of-Band RCS Reduction

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Metamaterials
• Antenna and Radar Technology

Background:

• Programmable metasurfaces offer dynamic beam steering and radar cross-section reduction (RCSR).
• Existing metasurfaces for RCSR often lack beam scanning capabilities or require additional stealth components.
• Achieving both in-band and out-of-band stealth is crucial for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a low-profile, self-stealth programmable metasurface.
• To achieve in-band and out-of-band RCSR intrinsically without additional structures.
• To enable dynamic beam steering and potential communication functions.

Main Methods:

• A meta-atom design incorporating a positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) diode for 1-bit phase modulation of x-polarization at the in-band frequency (f0).
• A bridge design for y-polarization enabling 1-bit phase adjustment, with separate control for x- and y-polarizations.
• Inclusion of cross-shaped dumbbells and branch structures in top and middle layers for out-of-band (high and low frequencies) RCSR.

Main Results:

• The meta-atom demonstrates phase modulation across five frequency bands (fl2 < fl1 < f0 < fh2 < fh1).
• The metasurface achieves a low profile height of 0.065λ, facilitating conformal design.
• A 12x12 prototype confirmed significant RCSR across the five bands and demonstrated in-band radiation for communication.

Conclusions:

• The developed self-stealth programmable metasurface effectively reduces radar cross-section both in-band and out-of-band.
• The low-profile design and multi-band stealth capabilities are advantageous for advanced radar and communication systems.
• This work contributes to the development of versatile programmable metasurface technology.