VO₂-enabled reconfigurable terahertz metasurface for Airy beam generation and OAM multiplexing

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetic wave manipulation
• Metasurface technology
• Terahertz (THz) communications

Background:

• 6G communication technology drives the exploration of the terahertz (THz) frequency band.
• Metasurfaces offer advanced electromagnetic wave manipulation capabilities for THz applications.
• Airy beams and orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing are key technologies for stable and high-capacity THz communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a reconfigurable terahertz metasurface for 6G communication systems.
• To enable flexible switching between Airy beam generation and OAM multiplexing functionalities.
• To leverage vanadium dioxide (VO2) phase transitions for dynamic control of metasurface properties.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a terahertz metasurface utilizing vanadium dioxide (VO2).
• Exploitation of VO2's distinct physical states (e.g., insulating and metallic) to alter metasurface electromagnetic response.
• Implementation of 3-bit phase coding for arbitrary wave modulations and dynamic voltage control.

Main Results:

• The metasurface successfully generates Airy beams in the 202–212 GHz band.
• The metasurface performs OAM multiplexing and other modulations in the 116–130 GHz band.
• External voltage control enables dynamic switching and reconfigurability of the metasurface functionalities.

Conclusions:

• The proposed VO2-based terahertz metasurface offers dual functionalities for advanced 6G communication.
• Dynamic control via voltage switching provides efficient and versatile solutions for THz systems.
• This technology holds significant potential for future terahertz communication applications.