title: Electronically-Controlled Beam-Steering through Vanadium Dioxide Metasurfaces.
abstract: Engineered metamaterials offer unique functionalities for manipulating the spectral and spatial properties of electromagnetic waves in unconventional ways. Here, we report a novel approach for making reconfigurable metasurfaces capable of deflecting electromagnetic waves in an electronically controllable fashion. This is accomplished by tilting the phase front of waves through a two-dimensional array of resonant metasurface unit-cells with electronically-controlled phase-change materials embedded inside. Such metasurfaces can be placed at the output facet of any electromagnetic radiation source to deflect electromagnetic waves at a desired frequency, ranging from millimeter-wave to far-infrared frequencies. Our design does not use any mechanical elements, external light sources, or reflectarrays, creating, for the first time, a highly robust and fully-integrated beam-steering device solution. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept beam-steering metasurface optimized for operation at 100 GHz, offering up to 44° beam deflection in both horizontal and vertical directions. Dynamic control of electromagnetic wave propagation direction through this unique platform could be transformative for various imaging, sensing, and communication applications, among others.
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Department, University of California Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Mohammed Reza M
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hashemi
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Department, University of California Los Angeles, USA.|Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: Shang-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Michigan State University, USA.
authors.forename: Tongyu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Michigan State University, USA.
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sepúlveda
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Department, University of California Los Angeles, USA.|Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jarrahi