Development of a Direction-variable Liquid Crystal Meta-surface Reflector

Abstract

Reconfigurable meta-surface reflectors, which are key components of intelligent radio environment (IRE) and intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs), have recently been gathering attention as a solution for coverage hole problems of mobile communication areas. In recent researches, many proposals related to a reconfigurable meta-surface reflector using diodes and new materials such as liquid crystal (LC) and graphene have been reported. Although reconfigurable metasurface reflectors using new materials have the capability to control reflection waves, it remains a concept and a simulation in high-frequency bands, which are not used in current mobile communication service. In this paper, we proposed and developed the world's first direction-variable liquid crystal meta-surface reflector. Through electromagnetic field simulation based on FDTD and measurement in an anechoic chamber, it was verified that the proposed meta-surface reflector achieves 260-degree reflection phase control in each unit cell and ±60-degree reflection direction control.