A Dual-Polarized Reconfigurable Reflectarray With a Thin Liquid Crystal Layer and 2-D Beam Scanning

Aghabeyki, Peyman; Cai, Yang; Deng, Guangsheng; Zhang, Shuai

doi:10.1109/tap.2023.3240853

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…If the applied voltage is much higher than the threshold voltage, then (6) simplifies to (12), only for the locations where the directors are perfectly aligning in the z-direction:…”

Section: Reconfigurable Transparent Ra Unit Cellmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the years, LC technology has found its way from optics to microwave and millimeter waves. It has been used both in phased array antennas [9][10] as well as RAs [11] [12] and it has been demonstrated to be a feasible solution for 2D beam-steering. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no report of optically transparent and fully reconfigurable beam-steering RA, or antenna and this problem remains unaddressed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Optically Transparent Beam-Steering Reflectarray Antennas Based on a Liquid Crystal for Millimeter-Wave Applications

Aghabeyki,

de la Rosa,

Caño-García

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagat.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study presents a method to realize an optically transparent beam-steering antenna. The RF and optical features of Liquid Crystal (LC) technology are used in combination with transparent metal mesh to realize the first optically transparent reconfigurable reflectarray (RA). Since the electric field of bias and Radio Frequency (RF) signals are highly non-uniform, the LC permittivity is both anisotropic and inhomogeneous thus the behavior of LC molecules needs to be obtained for accurate modeling prior to antenna design. A unit cell consisting of metallic mesh and LC is analyzed and LC director distribution is obtained. The director data are transformed into permittivity tensors in the entire LC volume and the LC is discretized in electromagnetic simulation software to perform full-wave periodic boundary simulation to model the anisotropy and inhomogeneity. The discretized model is approximated by a single dielectric block with a new permittivity range for GT7 LC material. A 10×10 RA is fabricated and measured in terms of optical and RF performance. The measured phase shift of the unit cell is 260˚ when the voltage is increased from 0 V to 40 V. The measured beam scans from -10˚ to 50˚ in the E-plane and from -50 to +50 in the H-plane with a 14.35 dBi maximum gain. The prototype optical performance is also measured. The benefits and drawbacks of current RF LC mixtures are discussed. It shows that with an appropriate LC mixture optimized for both RF and optical transmission, the LC-based optically transparent antennas are a viable solution for various new applications.

show abstract

“…If the applied voltage is much higher than the threshold voltage, then (6) simplifies to (12), only for the locations where the directors are perfectly aligning in the z-direction:…”

Section: Reconfigurable Transparent Ra Unit Cellmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Optically Transparent Beam-Steering Reflectarray Antennas Based on a Liquid Crystal for Millimeter-Wave Applications

Aghabeyki,

de la Rosa,

Caño-García

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagat.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In [19], a LC reflectarray capable of converting a 45º incident linear polarization signal to circular or orthogonal linear polarization was presented by modifying only one electric field component through a dipole-like unit cell pattern oriented along TE. In [20], a cross-shaped patch unit cell allows to scan a beam for both polarizations together in a dependently manner. In [21], a complex 15-layer structure containing two independent LC cavities and polarizers independently manipulates two orthogonal polarizations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electronically Reconfigurable Reflectarray Antenna Based on Single-Layer Liquid Crystal With Independent Dual-Polarization Control

Guirado,

Perez-Palomino,

de la Rosa

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagat.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper introduces a low-cost, easy-tomanufacture, dual polarization reconfigurable reflectarray antenna based on Liquid Crystal (LC) that operates at W-band. The antenna is electrically large and is capable of independently steering the beam of two orthogonal polarizations. Two different implementations of single-layer unit cells (single resonant and multi-resonant) capable of providing suitable phase range to independently control the two RF polarizations with enough isolation have been investigated. The single resonant cell was finally used to design, manufacture and test a complete reflectarray antenna made of 55×55 elements, for which an accurate and efficient modeling of the cells was implemented. The effect of the LC bias lines is minimized by following a thorough impact study. At a cell level, the measurements validate both the modeling and the capability of the LC to be locally biased at the same cell provided that the biasing network and the resonators of each polarization are properly distributed. At an antenna level, the measurements are predicted by simulations with excellent accuracy, which validates the design and modeling process. The measured antenna shows 35º of 1D scanning range with 25dBi gain and a maximum SLL of -9dB in the entire range for both polarizations at 98 GHz.

show abstract

“…This has led to the emerging of intriguing meta-devices and exploration of exotic physical phenomena, and enabling applications such as beam control and focusing lenses [3]. The versatility and potential of the RMTs drive innovative research in various fields, and has led to the study and development of reconfigurable reflectarray antennas (RRAs) [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The RRAs combine the advantages of both parabolic reflectors and microstrip array antennas to overcome their limitations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RRAs overcome this limitation and enable dynamic EM wave manipulations. Different tuning mechanisms, such as mechanical movement [14,15], MEMS [16], liquid crystal [17,18], varactor diodes [13], and PIN diodes [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] provide reconfigurability by changing the unit cell's reflection phase [20]. Mechanical RRAs utilize servos, micro motors, or similar equipment to change the unit cell's EM responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Metasurface-Based Electronically Reconfigurable and Dual-Polarized Reflectarray Antenna for Beam-Steering Applications

Sangmahamad,

Janpugdee,

Zhao

2023

IEEE Access

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this work, a metasurface-based, 1-bit electronically reconfigurable reflectarray antenna (RRA) is proposed for dual-polarization beam-steering applications. The proposed RRA consists of 16 × 16 Jerusalem cross-shaped unit cells loaded with PIN diodes, which are used as active and reconfigurable devices to generate a reflection phase difference of 180° between their on-and off-states. An optimal focal length to diameter ratio (𝑓/𝐷) for the feed antenna is determined to maximize its radiation coverage on the RRA. Microcontroller-based shift registers are used to resolve the complexity of the individual DC bias networks for the PIN diodes. The proposed RRA is designed, fabricated, and measured to evaluate its beam-steering performance. The measurement results show that the proposed RRA can achieve beam-steering of ±60° for x-and y-polarizations in both azimuth and elevation planes. Moreover, the proposed RRA is further verified by full-wave simulations to evaluate its additional functions, such as the generation of sum and difference beams for monopulse radar systems. The proposed RRA is anticipated to have significant potential in areas such as wireless communications, imaging, and radar systems, and is a particularly suitable candidate for reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) due to its adaptability and capability of dynamically generating different radiation patterns.INDEX TERMS, Reconfigurable reflectarray antenna, reflective metasurface, beam-steering, PIN diode.

show abstract

A Dual-Polarized Reconfigurable Reflectarray With a Thin Liquid Crystal Layer and 2-D Beam Scanning

Cited by 21 publications

References 22 publications

Optically Transparent Beam-Steering Reflectarray Antennas Based on a Liquid Crystal for Millimeter-Wave Applications

Optically Transparent Beam-Steering Reflectarray Antennas Based on a Liquid Crystal for Millimeter-Wave Applications

Electronically Reconfigurable Reflectarray Antenna Based on Single-Layer Liquid Crystal With Independent Dual-Polarization Control

A Metasurface-Based Electronically Reconfigurable and Dual-Polarized Reflectarray Antenna for Beam-Steering Applications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About