Frequency Selective Surface Unit Cell Research Articles

An Ultra‐Thin Dual‐Polarized Bandpass Frequency Selective Surface for 2.45‐/5.8‐GHz ISM Bands

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the design of a single‐layer, double‐sided frequency selective surface (FSS) with bandpass characteristics at the S‐band (2.45 GHz) and C band (5.8 GHz) for sub‐6‐GHz Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands. The proposed FSS is based on the concept of complementary FSS that produces additional resonant modes. The FSS is constructed using an ultra‐thin microwave laminate with a thickness of 0.00076λeff calculated at the C‐band. The solid patch on the front side of the FSS unit cell is composed of an octagonal ring connected to four spiral arms while the slotted region on the rear side is complementary to the geometry on the front side. The unit cell size of the proposed FSS element is 0.087λeff × 0.087λeff. The FSS has an ultra‐low profile with at least 40% size reduction compared to the state‐of‐the‐art. The FSS element offers 11.12% (288 MHz) and 11.45% (650 MHz) at 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively, at x‐polarization while 5.8% (142 MHz) and 5.9% (342 MHz) bandwidth in the y‐polarization. The FSS element has a rotational symmetric structure offering enhanced polarization stability and angular independent operation for oblique incidences up to 80°. Furthermore, FSS operation is stable, which is evaluated and presented. The prototype bandpass FSS is fabricated, and the simulation results are validated in real‐time using experiments.

Design of highly selective ultrawideband FSS based on deep learning for EMI shielding in 5G bands

Abstract In this paper, a frequency selective surface (FSS) for n41, n78, n257, n258, n260, and n261 bands electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is proposed using a deep learning method. The size of the FSS unit cell is 4.8 mm (0.071 λ 0 ), where λ 0 is the wavelength corresponding to the cutoff frequency of the −10 dB stopband where the n41 and n78 bands are located. This FSS exhibits three key characteristics. Firstly, it possesses ultrawideband capability, with a stopband frequency range of 23.922–40.023 GHz and a relative bandwidth reaching 50.4%. Secondly, it effectively shields against electromagnetic radiation in multiple 5 G bands, including n41, n78, n257, n258, n260, and n261. Thirdly, it demonstrates high selectivity, with a very narrow transition band of only 0.405 GHz between the passband and the stopband. To validate the designed FSS, a prototype of this structure was first fabricated for experimentation. The experimental results show that the measured S21 is highly consistent with the simulated S21. Secondly, the unit cell array of FSS is placed above the monopole antenna for co-simulation. It can be observed that after placing the FSS, the intensity of electromagnetic radiation propagating in space is significantly reduced by up to more than 90%. Therefore, the proposed FSS can be effectively applied for EMI shielding in 5 G bands.

Gain enhancement of compact CPW‐Fed ultra‐wideband antenna using an FSS reflector

AbstractIn this paper, an enhancement gain of compact CPW‐Fed antenna using a single layer frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) reflector for ultra‐wideband (UWB) applications is presented. A hexagonal CPW‐Fed antenna with a size of 30 × 30 mm2 is realized to provide a UWB bandwidth operation. In this study, a novel design of an FSS unit cell with reduction and a small size of 8 × 8 mm2 is proposed. It allows one to achieve a UWB band‐stop response between 3 and 11.5 GHz. The FSS reflector has 7 × 7 units with a total size of 56 × 56 mm2. This reflector is placed below the antenna at a distance of 20 mm. The main objective of this contribution is to improve the gain level of the antenna, where the proposed antenna achieves an improvement of realized gain of 6.2 dBi with increasing from 2.2 to 8.4 dBi. The antenna became more directive after the integration of the FSS reflector with a directional radiation pattern. The numerical and experimental results are in good concordance with the simulated one. This study is performed in terms of voltage standing wave ratio, radiation pattern, realized gain, and radiation efficiency.

Uniformity improvement of microwave heating with switchable frequency selective surface

Microwave heating has attracted interests in many industrial applications, yet heating inhomogeneity remains a critical issue. This study proposes a novel approach to enhance microwave heating uniformity employing a switchable frequency selective surface (FSS). The PIN diodes in each FSS unit cell can be toggled ON or OFF by controlling voltage biases, enabling the FSS to either reflect or transmit incident electromagnetic waves. Placing this switchable FSS in front of a heating cavity wall creates a dynamic reflecting boundary, which, through periodic alterations of the FSS and metallic wall, effectively improves the heating uniformity. To validate this method, we simulated the heating of a potato sample at 2450 MHz using COMSOL Multiphysics and conducted experimental tests. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly enhances microwave heating uniformity across various materials and sample sizes. This work provides a promising solution for designing microwave heating reactors.

Design of a low profile and ultraminiaturized frequency selective surface with dual band-stop response

In this paper, a miniaturized dual-band frequency selective surface (FSS) for electromagnetic shielding applications is presented. The FSS unit cell provides band-stop response at the resonant frequencies of 0.95 GHz and 2.52 GHz. The FSS element is constructed by employing convoluted metal stripes that are positioned on both sides of the substrate. The proposed configuration enhances the electrical length of the resonator while maintaining its physical dimensions. Moreover, the unit cell of the FSS exhibits rotational symmetry, which enables polarization independent operation. The designed FSS structure demonstrates excellent miniaturization characteristics, with a cell size and thickness of 0.019 λ0 × 0.019 λ0, and 0.00048 λ0, respectively. The cell size and thickness are calculated at the lower resonating frequency of 0.95 GHz. In addition, the stability of the proposed FSS structure is observed for both the TE and TM polarizations across an incident angle range of 0° to 80°. The resonating behavior of the structure is elucidated with the help of electric field and surface current distribution. Experimental verification of the dual-band FSS is conducted through the fabrication of a prototype on a FR4 substrate. The measured transmission coefficients are in good agreement with the simulated response for both TE and TM modes. Compared with the dual-band FSSs previously reported, the proposed FSS has the significant advantages of low profile and miniaturization.

An ultra‐miniaturized single‐layer multiband frequency selective surface with vent for wireless communication

SummaryA novel single‐layer ultra‐miniaturized multi‐band Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) with a circular vent is designed for shielding LTE and ISM bands. The top layer of the proposed FSS unit cell incorporates a circular patch along with convoluted arms. The designed FSS unit cell exhibits band‐rejection characteristics with a resonance of 800 MHz, 2.45 GHz, and 5 GHz and bandwidths of 523 MHz, 687 MHz, and 725 MHz, respectively. The periodicity of an ultra‐miniaturized FSS unit cell is 0.024λօ x 0.024λօ, encompassing a spatial vent hole of 0.01λօ, where λօ corresponds to the lowest operating frequency. Moreover, the proposed FSS unit cell remains unaltered angular stability up to 75° with less than 1% frequency deviation in TE and TM modes. Good polarization insensitivity for the designed four‐fold symmetrical FSS unit cell is achieved. Further, an Equivalent Circuit Model (ECM) analysis is developed to infer the physical insight of the proposed FSS unit cell. The FSS prototype is measured for the assertion, and the good agreement between the findings from simulation and measurement is validated. For real‐time assertion, the FSS prototype is verified using the Amitech SDR04. Thus, FSS is a promising candidate with good ventilation for shielding the LTE, Bluetooth, and Wi‐Fi application bands.

A Dual-Band Polarization-Insensitive Frequency Selective Surface for Electromagnetic Shielding Applications.

This paper presents a novel polarization-insensitive dual-band frequency-selective surface (FSS)-based electromagnetic shield. The miniaturized FSS unit cell consists of a modified Jerusalem crossed loop and a corner-modified square loop. These FSS elements are arranged in a co-planner configuration over a single-layer Rogers 5880 substrate and simultaneously offer effective shielding in the X- and Ku-bands. Moreover, the FSS manifests polarization-independent and angularly stable band-reject filter characteristics over various oblique angles of incidence for both the TE and TM polarizations with virtuous attenuation at both resonances. In addition, the FSS structure is modelled into an equivalent lumped circuit to better analyze the phenomenon of EM wave suppression. A finite prototype of FSS is fabricated and tested. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement, thus making it a potential candidate for RF shielding/isolation applications.

Design of miniaturized 2.5D frequency selective surface for X‐ and Ku‐band applications

AbstractThis paper presents the design of 2.5D frequency selective surface (FSS) for X and Ku band applications. Proposed FSS's unit cell is constructed with two independent slitted rings on both side of the FR4 substrate and is connected with metallic vias. The FSS offers a wide stop band performance from 6.26 to 18 GHz, with a fractional bandwidth of 96.7% measured at S21 < −10 dB and has a low insertion loss (IL) of 0.018 dB. The footprint of the FSS is only about 0.11 with the shielding effectiveness of 83.365 dB, and the transverse electric and transverse magnetic mode performances are stable up to 70 degrees. Prototype FSS is fabricated and measured for its performance validation. The performance validation is carried out using applied wave research and the equivalent circuit model tools.

Triple band frequency selective surface design for 5G mm‐wave communication with artificial neural networks

AbstractHigh‐performance frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) have gained attention for their spatial filtering characteristics in 5G communication systems. In this work, we propose an efficient and accurate design methodology for the FSS. Three different artificial neural network methods (ANN) are employed, and their performances are compared for analysis and synthesis purposes. Results show that GRNN has the highest performance for both training and test phase of ANN based FSS analysis and synthesis. A novel, compact, low‐profile triple band FSS unit cell is introduced, and the working mechanism is described. By applying ANN based design procedure, the unit cell dimensions to resonate at the 5G mm‐wave frequency band is extracted. A unit cell with the extracted physical dimensions is simulated with a full‐wave analysis tool. The simulation results show that the FSS has the filtering feature at the predetermined mm‐wave frequencies of the 5G communication. The prototype of the FSS is fabricated, as well. The simulations are verified experimentally with measurement results. The results show that proposed ANN based analysis and synthesis method can be an effective tool for the design of FSS band‐pass filter for 5G applications.

Optically transparent and angularly stable broad‐stopband frequency selective surface for millimeter wave electromagnetic interference mitigation

AbstractAn optically transparent and angularly stable frequency selective surface (FSS) with a broad stopband is introduced for addressing millimeter wave (mmW) electromagnetic interference. The unique FSS unit cell pattern incorporates a cross patch with Y‐shaped branches, effectively broadening the bandwidth and enhancing the angular stability. Utilizing transparent conductive indium tin oxide deposited on both sides of a glass substrate enables the FSS to reflect and absorb electromagnetic waves. Consequently, the proposed FSS exhibits an exceptionally wide stopband ranging from 18.7 to 40.2 GHz, featuring an insertion loss of 14 dB and maintaining stable angular response up to 60° for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations. Moreover, an equivalent circuit model is developed to characterize the stopband behavior of the FSS. Finally, measurements conducted on a physical prototype of the proposed FSS validate its effectiveness, showing good agreement with the simulation results.

Ultrathin and conformal frequency selective surfaces bandpass filter to eliminate the 5G bands on radio altimeters

AbstractThis work proposes a frequency‐selective surface‐based radome structure to selectively allow the radar altimeter operating band and also minimize the interference from Sub‐6GHz 5 G frequency bands. A Jerusalem cross and combinational loop (JCL) based frequency selective surfaces (FSS) unit cell of overall dimension 0.37λ was synthesized using a thin flexible substrate for use in fuselage of airborne systems. The proposed FSS unit cell exhibits transmission zero at 3.61 and 6.025 GHz and highly selective pass band at 4.3 GHz. The effect of bends and angle of incidence on the frequency response of the synthesized FSS was studied in transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes. A lumped element‐based equivalent circuit model for the proposed design was also presented. Finally, the fabricated prototype was experimentally validated in an Anechoic chamber setup and the suitability of the proposed FSS layers for aviation radar systems was confirmed.

An ultra‐thin frequency‐selective surface with inductive loading for X‐band shielding applications

SummaryA novel band‐stop frequency‐selective surface (FSS) for X‐band electromagnetic shielding is reported in this study. The single‐layer, single‐sided FSS has frequency‐dependent conductive patterns developed on a polyimide substrate that provides strong rejection to the entire X‐band frequencies. The unit cell FSS has an octagonal loop configuration. Each side of the octagonal loop is alternatively loaded with thick conductive patches and stub lines to reject 8 − 12 GHz with |S21| ≤ −15 dB. The size of the unit cell FSS is 0.167λo × 0.1673λo where λo is the free space wavelength calculated at the center frequency. Owing to the rotational symmetry, the FSS unit cell exhibits mode‐independent characteristics. The bending characteristics of the FSS are analyzed, and the inferences show that the FSS properties remain unchanged under flat and bent cases. The ultra‐thin FSS offers stable frequency response for normal and oblique incidences up to 80°. The designed FSS is fabricated and tested under laboratory conditions to validate the simulation results.

An Angle-Stable Ultra-Wideband Single-Layer Frequency Selective Surface Absorber

An ultra-wideband polarization-insensitive frequency selective surface (FSS) absorber is proposed for S to K-band applications. The absorber comprises two compensation slabs, a lossy FSS layer and a grounded dielectric plate. The FSS unit cell is a combination of a second-order Chinese knot and a cross. To enhance the bandwidth and angular stability of the single-layer FSS absorber, a compensation layer composed of FR4 and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) slabs is incorporated. The proposed FSS absorber demonstrates a remarkable absorption rate of over 90% within the frequency range of 3.1–22.1 GHz, exhibiting a fractional bandwidth of 150.8%. Even when subjected to an oblique incidence of 45°, the absorber maintains an 80% absorption rate in the frequency range of 4.4–19.1 GHz for both TE and TM polarizations. The total thickness of the FSS absorber is 0.0848 λL (the wavelength at the lowest cutoff frequency), and only 1.08 times the Rozanov limit. To validate the design, a prototype of the proposed absorber was fabricated and measured. Good agreements were observed between the simulations and measurements.

Miniaturized frequency‐selective surface with reduced number of metallic vias for electromagnetic shielding

SummaryA miniaturized frequency‐selective surface (FSS) for radio frequency (RF) filtering applications is reported in this paper. The proposed FSS is designed to operate with band stop property at 1.57 GHz. The FSS element is developed using highly convoluted lines running on either side of the substrate interconnected using via lines. This specific arrangement increases the electrical length of the resonator without increasing the physical size. Furthermore, the stability towards polarization variation and independence to different angles of incidence are other major concerns in the design of FSS. The FSS unit cell has rotational symmetry thereby providing polarization‐independent operation. The angular independence is tested for various incidence angles, and the results are presented. The performance of the FSS is validated in real time, and the results are presented. The maximum realized transmission loss is 27 dB at 1.57 GHz, and the attenuation bandwidth with reference 10 dB shielding level is estimated to be 400 MHz centered around 1.57 GHz. The convolution technique along with shorting vias has offered this extreme miniaturization ranging from 7% to 95.7% with reference to most of the FSS reported for L‐band services such as radio, telecommunications, military, and aircraft surveillance.

CPW-fed dual-element metamaterial inspired multiband antenna using simple FSS for gain enhancement

This article presents a dual-element metamaterial-inspired co-planar waveguide (CPW) fed elliptical antenna using a simple compact frequency selective surface (FSS) for multiband wireless applications. The designed antenna is fabricated on a cheap FR-4 substrate (εr = 4.4) with 40 × 40×1.6 mm3 dimensions. Dual complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs) loaded in the CPW ground create multiband characteristics, which are analyzed using the quasi-static design equations and the ANSYS HFSS EM simulator. FSS has been proposed as a reflector for the antenna to increase its gain. The FSS unit cell's angular stability has been analyzed using transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarization, and it has been determined to be 60°. The FSS integrated antenna offers measured bandwidths of 2.67 – 3.38 GHz (23.66 %), 3.77 – 4.17 GHz (10.25%), 4.91 – 5.93 GHz (19.61 %), and 7.28 – 8.93 GHz (20.24 %). The FSS integrated antenna shows nearly omnidirectional radiation patterns in all resonating bands with the highest gain of 9.72 dBi and measured radiation efficiency greater than 91 % in all the bands. The reported 'antenna with FSS' is appropriate for multiband wireless technologies as it covers IEEE 802.16 WiMAX, n77 5G NR, 5G Wi-Fi, WLAN, ISM and satellite spectrums.

Convoluted Meander Line-Inspired Metallic Surface Filter for Bluetooth and WLAN Bands

A convoluted meander line integrated cross dipole metallic structure with a dual-bandstop feature is presented in this manuscript. The investigated frequency-selective surface (FSS) exhibits the bandstopping characteristics for the Bluetooth (2.4 GHz) and WLAN (5.5 GHz) applications with a miniaturized unit cell size of 9.7 × 9.7 mm2. The proposed design has a polarization insensitivity feature for the TE and TM polarized waves’ incidents at 0°–60° with an interval of 15° angle. The equivalent circuit model of the presented FSS unit cell is also discussed and their limped element values are presented. The FSS design has a compact size which makes it favorable for low-profile band-filtering systems and multipath EM wave’s insensitivity. The suggested FSS configuration has good correspondence with modelled and measured results.

Design of a Flexible Cylindrical Antenna with Rotatable Curved Frequency Selective Surface for Omnidirectional High-Gain Applications

In this paper, a high-gain flexible cylindrical antenna with rotatable curved frequency selective surface (FSS) is presented, which is designed for the 2.4 GHz industrial scientific medical (ISM) band. The array of 3 × 3 optimized FSS unit cells (102 × 102 mm2) is applied to improve the gain of the antenna (50.4 × 28 × 0.1 mm3). Through the rotation of the FSS, omnidirectional gain enhancement is realized. The simulation and measurement results demonstrate the feasibility of this work. The measured antenna with the FSS has omnidirectional high-gain in the operational band of 2.18–2.90 GHz, and the gain can be increased by 5.31 dBi at most. The antenna can be used in cylindrical conformal devices, and the proposed design method provides a new solution for gain enhancement of cylindrical omnidirectional antennas.

Machine Learning Empowered Magnetic Substrate Coupled Broadband and Miniaturized Frequency Selective Surface

This works offers a polarization-insensitive, wide angular stable, and wideband electromagnetic interference shielding structure using an integration of frequency selective surface (FSS) with magnetic substrates. The equivalent circuit model (ECM) together with the analytical model is derived to figure out the physics of the shielding structure. The overall inductance of the shielding structure is increased using a magnetic ferrite sheet and magnetic silicon rubber sheet as substrates. Further, four different deep neural network configurations are investigated with inverse modeling to predict the shielding structure parameters within a fraction of seconds. The mse between expected and predicted output is only 2.92 × <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{-8}$</tex-math></inline-formula> . The entire X-band is shielded with a minimum 10-dB shielding effectiveness (SE) and with SE of 56 dB at resonance. The FSS unit cell size is only 0.21 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda$</tex-math></inline-formula> × 0.21 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda$</tex-math></inline-formula> . Furthermore, the proposed shielding structure shows stable transmission performance up to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$75^{\circ}$</tex-math></inline-formula> angle of incidence for both perpendicular and parallel polarization. Finally, a prototype is fabricated and measured using nondestructive free space measurement. Good agreement among the simulated, ECM, analytical model, and measured results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed technique for building an effective shielding structure.

Low-Profile FSS Design Methodology to Increase Isolation between Vehicle-Borne Multifrequency Antennas

The present work describes a new approach for the design of a Frequency-Selective Surface (FSS) in the context of frequency filters to increase isolation between two vehicle-borne antennas. A compact FSS design based on nested square meandered resonators is optimized for multifrequency operation. Furthermore, a design workflow is proposed. In general, the measurement of low-profile FSS does not correspond to simulation through Floquet modes based on periodic boundary conditions due to the lack of uniformity of mutual coupling among the FSS unit cells. The proposed method demonstrates the agreement between the infinite simulation and the measurement of the finite prototype once a convenient scale factor is applied, which facilitates the design workflow. In this case, an FSS is used as an efficient filter to increase the isolation between antennas by 6 dB in three representative bands (3GPP, WiFI I and II). In this way, multifrequency antennas can be placed at approximately half their actual distance with the same performance in spatial-constrained vehicular environments.

Novel versatile topologies and design optimization of wide-bandstop frequency selective surfaces for X-band, Ku-band and millimeter-wave applications

Novel designs of frequency selective surface (FSS) are presented for wideband applications in X, Ku and mmWave (millimeter Wave) bands. Two identical metallic layers of FSS are imprinted on both sides of the RO4003 substrate. The geometry parameters are optimized to maximize the bandstop at the specified in-band maximum transmission level of −10 dB; satisfaction of the latter condition is enforced through appropriate formulation and handling of the design constraints. The proposed structure is versatile and can be readily re-designed for various operating bands. For the sake of illustration, two instances of the FSS were developed. Design 1 exhibits broad bandstop of 9.8 GHz at the X- and Ku-bands, whereas the bandstop of Design 2 is 33.5 GHz at the mmWave band. The two FSS unit cell designs share the same base topology, but specific dimensions are adjusted to operate within the lower and the higher bands, respectively. The unit cell is symmetrical, therefore, ensures an excellent resonance stability performance with respect to different polarizations (TE and TM) and incidence angles. For proof of concept only FSS Design 1 is fabricated and measured in an anechoic chamber. The simulated and measured results exhibit good agreement. Extensive benchmarking against state-of-the-art FSS designs from the literature corroborates the advantages of the proposed topology in terms of design novelty, topological versatility, compact size, and wide bandstop response as compared to the previously available designs.