Reconfigurable Metasurface Antenna Based on the Liquid Metal
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micromachines Article Reconfigurable Metasurface Antenna Based on the Liquid Metal for Flexible Scattering Fields Manipulation Ting Qian Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics and Information, Shanghai 200240, China; [email protected] Abstract: In this paper, we propose a reconfigurable metasurface antenna for flexible scattering field manipulation using liquid metal. Since the Eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) liquid metal has a melting temperature around the general room temperature (about 30 ◦C), the structure based on the liquid metal can be easily reconstructed under the temperature control. We have designed an element cavity structure to contain liquid metal for its flexible shape-reconstruction. By melting and rotating the element structure, the shape of liquid metal can be altered, resulting in the distinct reflective phase responses. By arranging different metal structure distribution, we show that the scattering fields generated by the surface have diverse versions including single-beam, dual-beam, and so on. The experimental results have good consistency with the simulation design, which demonstrated our works. The presented reconfigurable scheme may promote more interest in various antenna designs on 5G and intelligent applications. Keywords: liquid-metal metasurface; reconfigurable metasurface; reconfigurable antenna; beam ma- nipulation Citation: Qian, T. Reconfigurable 1. Introduction Metasurface Antenna Based on the The concept of metamaterials has attracted much attention in the past decade. Meta- Liquid Metal for Flexible Scattering materials are three-dimensional artificial structures with special electromagnetic properties. Fields Manipulation. Micromachines Due to the fact that metamaterials can be designed artificially, they can be widely used in a 2021, 12, 243. https://doi.org/ variety of applications, such as negative and zero refraction [1], perfect absorption [2–4], 10.3390/mi12030243 invisibility cloaking [5–8], dielectrics lenses [9,10] and vortex beams [11,12]. Reconfigurable metamaterials are composed of passive metamaterials and active components [13]. Its Academic Editor: Daeyoung Kim rapid development makes it possible to manufacture metadevices with practical functions and unique subwavelength devices [14–19]. At present, the tuning methods of reconfig- Received: 1 February 2021 urable metamaterials mainly include mechanical tuning [20,21], electronic tuning [22–26], Accepted: 25 February 2021 Published: 28 February 2021 material property tuning [27–29] and optical tuning [30,31]. The antenna is an essential part of the wireless information system. With the rapid Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral development of wireless information technology, higher and higher requirements are put with regard to jurisdictional claims in forward for the antenna system. It is expected that the antenna unit has the characteris- published maps and institutional affil- tics of a wide beam, wide frequency band and high gain. Therefore, people continue to iations. explore new concepts and technologies of various antennas to break through the related problems. In recent years, the concept of reconfigurable antenna has been proposed. The reconfiguration of antenna performance is realized by adjusting the state of controllable devices integrated in the general radiation aperture. There are three methods to realize reconfiguration of antenna: electronic device reconfiguration (such as pin diode [32,33], Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. radio frequency (RF) switches [34–36], varactor diode [37–39], etc.), mechanical reconfig- This article is an open access article uration [40,41] and changing the material properties of the antenna [42]. Through the distributed under the terms and reconfigurable technologies, the performance of antenna can be transformed, such as conditions of the Creative Commons the working frequency [43–45], polarization mode [46–48], radiation pattern [49] and the Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// combination of the above performance. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ However, many of the researches we mentioned above need complex hardware system 4.0/). design, requiring active components like PIN diodes, switches, and varactors, demanding Micromachines 2021, 12, 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12030243 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/micromachines Micromachines 2021, 12, x 2 of 8 However, many of the researches we mentioned above need complex hardware sys- Micromachines 2021, 12, 243 tem design, requiring active components like PIN diodes, switches, and varactors,2 de- of 8 manding high control complexity and cost. To explore a flexible and low-cost reconfigu- rable method, here, we present a metasurface antenna based on liquid metal for flexible scatteringhigh control fields complexity manipulation. and cost. ATo square-rin explore ag flexiblecavity andstructure low-cost has reconfigurable been designed, method, simu- latedhere, weand present fabricated a metasurface to demonstrate antenna our baseddesign on. By liquid rotating metal and for reco flexiblenstructing scattering the liquid fields metalmanipulation. shape, the A square-ringreflected phase cavity response structure of has the been element designed, shows simulated various distinct and fabricated states, coveringto demonstrate more than our design.270° phase By rotatingrange. We and designed reconstructing several thephase liquid distributions metal shape, on the surfacereflected to phase generate response the scattering of the element beam in shows different various directions. distinct The states, measured covering results more have than good270◦ phase agreement range. with We the designed simulation, several verifying phase distributionsour design. We on believe the surface this work to generate will stim- the ulatescattering more beamresearches in different on reconfigurable directions. The and measured flexible designs results utilizing have good liquid agreement metal for with di- versethe simulation, applications. verifying our design. We believe this work will stimulate more researches on reconfigurable and flexible designs utilizing liquid metal for diverse applications. 2. Principle and Design 2. Principle and Design As shown in Figure 1, we presented a metasurface antenna system composed of a reflectedAs shown surface in with Figure reconfigurable1, we presented liquid a metasurfacemetal on it and antenna a feed system antenna. composed When the of in- a cidentreflected wave surface from withthe feed reconfigurable antenna is reflected liquid metal by the on specific it and metal a feed structure, antenna. the When desired the phaseincident distribution wave from is the generated, feed antenna as illustrate is reflectedd in by Figure the specific 1. According metal structure, to the length the desired from thephase phase distribution center of is the generated, antenna asto illustratedthe different in Figureelements,1. According the relevant to the phase length distribution from the onphase the centersurface of is the obtained antenna easily to the according different to elements, the equation the relevant below, as phase we exhibited distribution in Figure on the 1b.surface is obtained easily according to the equation below, as we exhibited in Figure1b. 2p2LL(m,m, n n) Phaseℎ(m,m, n) n= = (1) in l wherewhere L(m, L(m, n) means n) means the lengththe length from from the phasethe phase center center of feed of feed antenna antenna to theto the element element as asmth m rowth row and andnth n column,th column,l is the is the wavelength wavelength of the of the operating operating frequency. frequency. To designTo design the thedesired desired scattering scattering pattern, pattern, we we first first calculate calculate the the phase phase distribution distributionPhase ℎde ofthe of the specific spe- cificbeam beam scattering scattering fields, fields, such assuch beam-deflection as beam-deflection or dual-beam or dual-beam fields. fields. Then theThen final the phase final phasedistribution distribution can be can calculated be calculated following following Equation equation (2) as below.(2) as below. Phase f inal = Phasede − Phasein (2) ℎ =ℎ −ℎ (2) Figure 1. TheThe schematic schematic of of the the presented presented reconfigurable reconfigurable metasurface metasurface antenna. antenna. (a ()a The) The anomalous anomalous refraction under plane-wave incidence. ( b) The incident phase calculation of the point source feed.feed. ◦ ◦ ◦ To simplifysimplify thethe phase phase states, states, we we designed designed the th 2-bite 2-bit reflective reflective states states as 0 as, 90 0°,, 90°, 180 ,180°, and ◦ and270 270°to establish to establish the finalthe final surface surface phase phase response. response. The finalThe phasefinal phase distribution distribution is generated is gen- eratedby liquid-metal by liquid-metal elements elements with differentwith differ shapes,ent shapes, which which can be can achieved be achieved by heating by heating and andcooling cooling at a certainat a certain temperature. temperature. By arranging By arranging the various the various phase phase distributions distributions produced pro- ducedby the by liquid-metal the liquid-metal elements, elements, we can we realize can re variousalize various radiation radiation patterns patterns like single-beam, like single- beam,dual-beam, dual-beam, and three-beam. and three-beam. To achieve the flexibleflexible phase-reconfigurablephase-reconfigurable capability, wewe designeddesigned aa metasurfacemetasurface element with a rectangular-ring