Multi-field-sensing metasurface with robust self-adaptive reconfigurability

The continuous increase in communication capacity is accompanied by an increase in transmission frequency, which creates new demands on the transmission efficiency in modern. Signal relay transmission can increase the transmission distance, however, conventional repeaters relay the signal in a specified direction, which is difficult to accommodate communication when a receiving device suddenly appears around the repeater. In this work, we propose a new signal transmission repeater, which is implemented by an adaptively reconfigurable multi-beam reflective metasurface based on multispectral detection. The reconfigurable metasurface with varactor diodes is designed and the mapping of phase profiles to voltages is established by polynomial fitting method. Visual, laser, infrared and ultrasonic detectors are used to detect targets in different scenarios. Thus, the detection information is fed back to the reconfigurable metasurface for adaptively multi-beam switching. As verification, the adaptive metasurface repeater was fabricated and measured to verify our design. All the results exhibit consistency with theoretical design. Importantly, this work paves a new way to intelligent metasurfaces and may find applications in intelligent communications, smart home, etc.

Automated summary

The continuous increase in communication capacity requires improved transmission efficiency. Conventional repeaters are unable to accommodate sudden appearances of receiving devices. In this study, an adaptively reconfigurable multi-beam reflective metasurface is proposed for signal transmission. The metasurface, designed with varactor diodes, is capable of dynamically switching between multiple beams based on detection information. The fabricated repeater verifies the effectiveness of the design. This work sheds light on the potential applications of intelligent metasurfaces in communications and smart homes.