Radar-Infrared Multi-Scale Bi-Stealth via Optically Transparent Chaotic Coding Metasurface

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electromagnetics
• Physics

Background:

• Multispectral detection demands simultaneous suppression of microwave and infrared signatures.
• Conventional methods struggle with functional integration, complexity, and scalability for synergistic radar cross section (RCS) and infrared (IR) control.
• Existing strategies lack efficient integration for multi-spectrum stealth applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a chaotic paradigm combined with a multi-scale strategy for radar-IR-optical multispectral stealth.
• To develop a single-layer coding indium tin oxide (ITO) platform for integrated stealth.
• To achieve synergistic control over RCS and IR radiation characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a single-layer coding ITO platform with multi-scale architecture (millimeter, centimeter, decimeter scales).
• Implementing chaotic coding, a deterministic pseudo-random method, for meta-array construction.
• Correlating chaotic initial conditions with microwave/IR responses for tunable emissivity and microwave diffusion.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated broadband RCS reduction over 10 dB in X/Ku bands (8–18 GHz) for incident angles up to 45°.
• Achieved low IR emissivity (< 0.3) and high optical transmittance (71.2%).
• Fabricated a proof-of-concept metadevice with an ultrathin profile (3.35 mm).

Conclusions:

• The proposed chaotic paradigm and multi-scale strategy offer a promising solution for multi-scale multispectral stealth.
• The ITO platform enables controllable spatial IR emissivity modulation while maintaining broadband microwave diffusion.
• The strategy provides a lightweight, optically transparent, and easily fabricated approach for advanced stealth applications.