VO2-based ultra-reconfigurable intelligent reflective surface for 5G applications

Abstract

As demand for higher capacity wireless communications increases, new approaches are needed to improve capacity. The lack of configurable radio platforms and power consumed to create new signals are some of the limitations preventing further advancements. To address these limitations, we propose an Ultra-Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (URIS) platform based on the metal-to-insulator transition property of VO2. A VO2 layer is placed on a high-density micro-heater matrix consisting of pixels that can be electronically switched on. With this manner of control, heat can be transferred to selected areas of the VO2 layer and convert it to highly conductive metallic phase. This technique allows dynamically changing the shape of the reflection surface with high speed. We numerically investigated the heat activated switching and RF reflection characteristics of a reflectarray designed for potential 5G applications operating at 32 GHz. It consists of heating pixels with the size of 40 × 40 μm which can generate metallic VO2 patches or arbitrary shapes with ~ 100 × 100 μm spatial resolution. Our analyses resulted in large phase range of ~ 300° and approximate losses of −2 dB. The proposed device can serve as a novel platform for ultra-reconfigurable reflectarrays, other IRSs, and various wide spectral range RF applications.