Synthesis of Polarization-Independent Perfect Anomalous Reflectors via Modulated Metasurfaces and an Analytical Design Model

Abstract

A systematic approach to the synthesis of polarization-independent metasurfaces for anomalous reflection is presented. A fast analytical procedure is laid out to analyze the electromagnetic (EM) behavior of an impedance-modulated metasurface for arbitrary angles of incidence and reflection, subsequently serving as a means to provide the necessary impedance profile for reflection toward a specific direction, while capturing all propagation mechanisms, including surface waves (SWs) and nonlocal effects. We apply this procedure to design a metasurface for reflecting a normal incident wave to a different reflection angle, where the synthesized impedance is approximated by a discrete design, based on orthogonal metallic patches. This is done to provide control of both cases of incident wave polarization, while the unit cell analysis and extraction of equivalent impedance is easily performed by a full-wave computational eigenmode analysis of the unit cell. The unit cell design is performed by a simple fine-tuning process with minimal geometric modifications, and the actual discrete metasurface design is proven to agree well with the continuous model. The validity of the synthesis approach is perfectly demonstrated by the fabrication and experimental verification of a model design.