Concept, realization, and applications of coding metasurfaces

Abstract

Coding metasurfaces, characterized by processing the electromagnetic waves for specified functions through predesigned coding sequences either in space or time, can manipulate the electromagnetic waves in both space frequencies and time frequencies. They have been emerging as the revolutionary platforms for metasurface technologies in recent years. In this paper, we first introduce the general concept and operating principle of the coding metasurfaces. Then, two design strategies for realizing the coding metasurface particles, altering resonant states and switching current phase, are provided, respectively. Next, two recent reported applications that are based on space-coding metasurface for RCS reduction and time-coding metasurface for spread-spectrum wireless communication are presented, respectively. Finally, existing challenges and potential future research directions in coding metasurfaces are discussed.

Keywords:

• Coding metasurface
• space-coding
• time-coding
• space-time-coding
• multi-bit
• RCS reduction
• spread spectrum

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Fuheng Zhang, Dr. Yasir Saifullah, and Qingzhuo Chen for their valuable contribution to this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China under grant number 2017YFA0100203.