Simultaneous realization of polarization conversion for reflected and transmitted waves with bi-functional metasurface

Xiaojun Huang,Xia Ma,Helin Yang,Xuewen Li,Jingdao Fan,Liang Guo

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-06366-6

Xiaojun Huang, Xia Ma + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06366-6

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Abstract

Manipulating the polarizations of electroagnetic waves by flexible and diverse means is desirable for myriad microwave systems. More recently, metasurfaces have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional polarization manipulation components because the flexibility of their geometry means that they can be arbitrarily customized. In this context, a bilayered metasurface is presented to simultaneously manipulate the polarized states of reflected and transmitted microwaves. Regardless of whether an incident electromagnetic wave is x-polarized or y-polarized, the reflected and transmitted waves are converted into their orthogonal waves at the operating frequency. The designed metasurface has a high polarization conversion rate, above 90%, for both normal and oblique incidences. Experimental results verify the correctness of the simulated results. Finally, the axial ratio and surface current distributions are employed to reveal the physics of the polarization manipulation. The proposed metasurface will be beneficial in the design of flexible and versatile polarization converters, has great potential for applications in polarization-controlled devices and is believed to be extendable to higher frequency regimes.

Highlights

Manipulating the polarizations of electroagnetic waves by flexible and diverse means is desirable for myriad microwave systems
Conventional approaches to manipulate the polarization state of light using birefringent crystals and grating structures are subject to bulky w aveplates[14,15,16]; the inherent defects of conventional polarizers include their large geometry and the low efficiency of natural materials, which make it difficult to meet the current miniaturization requirements of microwave and optical system integration
Myriad MS-based polarization conversion devices with various structures, including typical SSR units, have been proposed theoretically and experimentally for waves ranging from the microwave to optical frequencies, such as multiband or broadband linearly orthogonal polarization converters for reflection or transmission EM w aves[24,25,26,27], circular cross-polarization converters[28,29], and linear-circular polarization converters[30,31,32]

Summary

Introduction

Manipulating the polarizations of electroagnetic waves by flexible and diverse means is desirable for myriad microwave systems. Myriad MS-based polarization conversion devices with various structures, including typical SSR units, have been proposed theoretically and experimentally for waves ranging from the microwave to optical frequencies, such as multiband or broadband linearly orthogonal polarization converters for reflection or transmission EM w aves[24,25,26,27], circular cross-polarization converters[28,29], and linear-circular polarization converters[30,31,32]. Hao et al reported an I-shaped structure achieving 90° polarization rotation in reflection mode with a high efficiency conversion ratio at two different frequencies for linearly polarized waves working in the microwave frequency[33]. Simultaneous manipulation of reflected and transmitted waves under different polarized mode illumination is still a problem in practical applications

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