Programmable beam steering and quasi-continuous phase shift on a 2-bit terahertz coding metasurface with HEMT-switched multimodal modulation.

Abstract

Terahertz reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) stand out from conventional phased arrays thanks to their unique electromagnetic properties and intelligent interconnect paradigms. They are a vital technology for terahertz wireless communication and radar detection systems. Compared with 1-bit coding metasurfaces, 2-bit coding metasurfaces offer significant advantages such as single beam steering and reduced quantization errors. Electrically controlled switchable coding metasurfaces have been restricted by the switch performance and integration technology, limiting reported devices to 1-bit coding. Additionally, metasurfaces that offer quasi-continuous phase modulation across a 2π range have garnered extensive attention for their higher phase shift precision and regulation freedom. This paper proposes a 2-bit multimodal THz quasi-continuous phase shift coding metasurface based on asymmetrically configured high electron mobility transistor (HEMT)-dipoles. The meta-device consists of two asymmetrically combined HEMT-dipole resonant structures, wherein the versatile density variations of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) introduce subtly local-field modulation under different external voltage combinations, rendering the quasi-continuous phase shift of 0° to 350° at 0.376 THz with a minimum incremental step of 6°. Moreover, selecting optimal 2-bit coding states within the quasi-continuous phase shift loop constructed different array phase gradients based on Snell's law, enabling real-time beam steering from 21° to 48° within the 0.365-0.385 THz frequency range. The simulation results align closely with the experimental findings, marking the first achievement of real-time programmable phase shift control and 2-bit beam steering using electrically controlled switches in the terahertz domain. This research provides a practical approach for real-time quasi-optical continuous phase modulation control and programmable single-beam electronic steering, with promising applications in terahertz wireless communication, radar detecting, and computational imaging, among other fields.