Reducing radar cross section of flat metallic targets using checkerboard metasurface: Design, analysis, and realization

Abstract

Aiming at the large-scale application of metasurface in the field of radar stealth, we present a hybrid resonance-based and dispersion substrate integrated checkerboard metasurface (CMS) for reducing the radar cross section (RCS) of flat metallic targets. Considering the frequency-dependent characteristics of such a dispersion material, a pair of single and dual resonant artificial magnetic conductor meta-atoms with the modified “crusades-like” cell topologies is employed to maximize the operating bandwidth; besides, a comprehensive and thorough investigation on the resonance mechanism is conducted in this paper to provide an intuitive physical insight of meta-atoms’ reflection responses. By comparing the predicted results with simulations, the quasi-periodic effect is introduced to explain the frequency shift of 10 dB RCS reduction bandwidth. In the implementation procedure, a prototype of the designed RCS reducer with a total dimension of 180 × 180 mm2 is fabricated and measured, the 10 dB RCS reduction bandwidth of theoretical simulation and experimental measurement are basically consistent, and the performance improvement of 8 dB RCS reduction in the experimental results can be attributed to the dispersion effects of the dielectric substrate. With a better figure of merit, our efforts may serve as a useful exemplar for the economical CMS architecture in radar evasive applications.

Frequency selective rasorber based on cross bend resonators for wideband transmission and absorption

“…A comparative analysis was performed against a metal plate of identical dimensions. In the simulation, the open (add space) boundary condition is applied along each direction [46].…”

Transparent and Ultra-Thin Flexible Checkerboard Metasurface for Radar–Infrared Bi-Stealth

“…The development of modern radar detection technology has brought great challenges to the stealth characteristics of military targets. Radar cross-section (RCS) is an important indicator to measure the stealth capability of targets, and reducing RCS can effectively improve the survivability of targets [ 1 , 2 ]. Applying radar-absorbing materials (RAMs) and redirecting scattering fields are two commonly used methods for RCS reduction [ 3 , 4 ].…”