Linear Polarization Conversion Research Articles

Ultrathin Bi‐Switchable Vanadium Dioxide‐Based Multifunctional Metamaterial for Terahertz Polarization Modulation

AbstractA broadband multi‐functional bi‐switchable ultrathin optical metamaterial design is investigated, which can achieve a high polarization conversion efficiency over a wide band of frequencies in the terahertz (THz) regime. The proposed design switches from a linear and circular polarization converter (LPC/CPC) to an efficient absorber by using the phase change property of a functional material, vanadium dioxide (VO2). The proposed design shows switching from an absorber to a reflector using the mechanical configuration of the functional material, and therefore the design can be used as a bi‐switchable device. The first type of switching is accomplished by changing the conductivity of the functional material, while the second type of switching is achieved with the help of the mechanical configuration of the functional material. Moreover, the structure is responsive to wide incident angles. The proposed switchable design has the potential to contribute to the development of tunable polarization rotating devices and on/off switching LPC devices, which have wide applications in detection, sensing, and communications.

A Multiband and Multifunctional Metasurface for Linear and Circular Polarization Conversion in Reflection Modes

Multifunctional integrated meta-devices are the demand of modern communication systems and are given a lot of attention nowadays. Most of the research has focused on either cross-polarization conversion (CPC) or linear-to-circular (LP–CP) conversion. However, simultaneously realizing multiple bands with good conversion efficiency remains crucial. This paper proposes a multiband and multifunctional dual reflective polarization converter surface capable of converting a linearly polarized (LP) wave into a circularly polarized (CP) wave, in frequency bands of 12.29–12.63 GHz, 16.08–24.16 GHz, 27.82–32.21 GHz, 33.75–38.74 GHz, and 39.70–39.79 GHz, with 3 dB axial ratio bandwidths of 2.7%, 40.15%, 14.6%, 13.76%, and 0.2%, respectively. Moreover, the converter is capable of achieving CPC with a polarization conversion ratio (PCR) that exceeds 95%, within the frequency ranges of 13.10–14.72 GHz, 25.43–26.00, 32.46–32.56 GHz, and 39.14–39.59 GHz. In addition, to identify the fundamental cause of the CPC and LP–CP conversion, a comprehensive theoretical investigation is provided. Furthermore, the surface current distribution patterns at different frequencies are investigated to analyze the conversion phenomena. A sample prototype consisting of 20 × 20 unit cells was fabricated and measured, verifying our design and the simulated results. The proposed structure has potential applications in satellite communications, radar, stealth technologies, and reflector antennas.

Polarization and incident angle independent multifunctional tunable terahertz metasurface based on graphene

Motivated by the imperative demand for design integration and miniaturization within the terahertz (THz) spectrum, this study presents an innovative solution to the challenges associated with singular functionality, limited application scope, and intricate structures prevalent in conventional metasurfaces. The proposed multifunctional tunable metasurface leverages a hybridized grapheme–metal structure, addressing critical limitations in existing designs. Comprising three distinct layers, namely a graphene–gold resonance layer, a Topas dielectric layer, and a bottom gold film reflective layer, this terahertz metasurface exhibits multifunctionality that is both polarization and incident-angle independent. The metasurface demonstrates a broadband circular dichroism (CD) function when subjected to incident circularly polarized waves. In contrast, under linear incidence, the proposed design achieves functionalities encompassing linear dichroism (LD) and polarization conversion. Remarkably, graphene's chemical potential and the incident light’s state can be manipulated to tune each functional aspect's intensity finely. The proposed tunable multifaceted metasurface showcases significant referential importance within the terahertz spectrum, mainly contributing to advancing CD metamirrors, chiral photodetectors, polarization digital imaging systems, and intelligent switches.

Miura origami based reconfigurable polarization converter for multifunctional control of electromagnetic waves

Polarization is one of the basic characteristics of electromagnetic (EM) waves, and its flexible control is very important in many practical applications. At present, most of the multifunction polarization metasurfaces are electrically tunable based on PIN and varactor diodes, which are easy to operate and have strong real-time performance. However, there are still some problems in them, such as few degrees of freedom of planar structure control, complex circuit, bulky sample, and high cost. In view of these shortcomings, this paper proposes a Miura origami based reconfigurable polarization conversion metasurface for multifunctional control of EM waves. The interaction between the electric dipoles is changed by adjusting the folding angle θ, thereby tuning the operating frequency of the polarization conversion and the polarization state of the reflected wave. This mechanical control method brings more degrees of freedom to manipulate EM waves. And the processed sample is with lightweight and low cost. To verify the performance of the proposed origami polarization converter, a Miura origami structure loaded with metal split rings is designed and fabricated. The operating frequency of the structure can be tuned in different folding states. In addition, by controlling the folding angle θ, linear-to-linear and linear-to-circular polarization converters can be realized at different folding states. The proposed Miura origami polarization conversion metasurface provides a new idea for reconfigurable linear polarization conversion and multifunctional devices.

Yansıma Modunda Doğrusal ve Dairesel Polarizasyon için Çok Fonksiyonlu Çok Bantlı Metasurface

A new metasurface design is presented in multi and broad frequency bands. Metasurface has been designed on Roger 5880 substrate with a thickness of 1.575 mm. The top of the designed metasurface consists of two diagonal mirror m-shaped unit cells. The background plane covers the whole metasurface. Numerical results demonstrate the metasurface's capability for both linear (12.48-13.62 GHz, 19.00-27.64 GHz, 39.45-41.72 GHz, 44.68-45.18 GHz, and 47.52-48.28 GHz) and circular (11.5-12.07 GHz, 30.01-37.77 GHz, 42.3-44.2 GHz, 45.45-47.1 GHz, 48.7-49.54 GHz) polarization conversion with over 90% efficiency. At the same time, the metasurface has good angular stability up 45^0.

An angular stable ultra-broadband asymmetric transmission chiral metasurface with efficient linear-polarization conversion

Abstract In this paper, a chiral metasurface is presented to effectively attain an ultra-broadband operation of asymmetric transmission with highly efficient cross-polarization conversion. The efficiency of the asymmetric transmission operation in the frequency band ranging from 6.5 to 13 GHz is above 70%. Additionally, in the frequency range from 3.7 to 14 GHz, the cross-polarization conversion realizes greater than 90% polarization conversion ratio. Asymmetric transmission as well as cross-polarization conversion show angular stability against the incident angle of electromagnetic waves up to 45°. To validate the simulation results, the fabricated chiral metasurface is tested and compared with simulation results. The concepts of asymmetric transmission and linear-polarization conversion are demonstrated and physically explained through the distributions of surface currents over metallic layers. This anticipated work has significant applications in telecommunications and radar, as well as potential use in equipment designed for the manipulation of electromagnetic waves.

Wideband and wide-angle reflective metasurface for efficient linear and circular polarization conversion in X, Ku, and K bands

A single-layer wideband and wide-angle reflective metasurface exhibiting linear to cross-polarization conversion (CPC) and linear-to-circular polarization (LP-to-CP) conversion in the X, Ku, and K bands is presented in this research. The devised metasurface serves as a multifunctional platform, achieving CPC over a substantial fractional bandwidth of 64.34% (9.75–19 GHz) with remarkable efficiency exceeding 90% within the 9.75–16 GHz range, reaching a remarkable 100% at resonant frequencies of 11 GHz and 14.6 GHz. Additionally, linear-to-circular polarization conversion is achieved over a significant bandwidth of 9.54 GHz. Notably, the carefully optimized unit cell structure ensures robust polarization transformation, maintaining stability against variations in the incidence angle of up to 45° for both transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) polarizations. The proposed metasurface, characterized by its simplicity, compactness, angular stability, and multifunctionality, demonstrates the considerable potential for various microwave communications, antenna design, radar invisibility, and remote sensing device applications.

Dual-band terahertz reflective-mode metasurface for the wavefront manipulation of independent linear and circular polarization waves

Metasurfaces (MSs) are being extensively researched owing to their ability to modulate the polarization and wavefront of electromagnetic (EM) waves in a flexible manner, which usually offer significant advantages including ultra-thinness, low losses, and easy fabrication. However, conventional MSs typically operate well only with a single polarization. Here, we propose a novel design strategy for a terahertz (THz) reflective-mode MS that relies on a single unit-cell arrangement combining propagation phase and geometric phase. Our designed MS can achieve multiple wavefront manipulations in reflection mode, not limited to circular polarization (CP) transformation, but also enabling linear polarization (LP) conversion. The MS we propose consists of a periodic array of bilayered metal patterned resonator structures sandwiched by a dielectric substrate. The metallic resonator is made of the outer single-split-ring (SSR) and C-shaped slot (CSS), inner double-split-ring (DSR), and its complementary structure. With this design, the MS is capable of converting a LP wave to its orthogonal counterpart at lower frequency (f1=0.7THz) after reflection. Additionally, at higher frequency (f2=1.4THz), the proposed MS can also convert the right-handed CP (RCP) to left-handed CP (LCP) upon reflection or vice versa. The 2π phase full coverage of the orthogonal LP and CP waves can be achieved independently and simultaneously by adjusting the opening and orientation angles of the SSR based on propagation phase, and orientation angle of the DSR based on geometric phase. We numerically demonstrate beam deflection, planar focusing, and the vortex beam for both reflected orthogonal LP and CP waves with three representative MSs to provide proof of concept. These findings reveal the great potential for multifunctional devices for dual-polarization in imaging and communication systems.

Metasurface-based broadband linear polarization converter with broad angular stability for X-band applications

Metasurface-based broadband linear polarization converter with broad angular stability for X-band applications

Single- / Dual-Band Linear Polarization Converter with Independently Controllable Passband and High Selectivity

Single- / Dual-Band Linear Polarization Converter with Independently Controllable Passband and High Selectivity

An efficient and low-profile metasurface-based polarization converter with linear and circular polarization efficiencies for X- and Ku-Band applications

In this study, a metasurface-based linear and circular polarization converter operating on the reflection mode is proposed for X- and Ku-band microwave applications. The proposed converter offers an optimum performance with a polarization conversion ratio (PCR) and polarization matching ratio (PMR) greater than 93 in the bandwidth for a linearly polarized in the y-direction and right-handed circular polarized (RHCP) incident waves. Besides, the design performs over 80 PCR performance up to under oblique incidence. Moreover, the proposed converter is capable of left-handed circular polarization conversion between 7.42 and 7.68 GHz for a y-polarized incident wave. The design offers a relative bandwidth (RBW) of 71.36. The converter design is constructed with metal termination, an easily accessible FR-4 substrate and a simple design metasurface. Surface currents of the polarization converter at resonance frequencies of 8.77, 12.88 and were examined to understand its working mechanism. In addition, when the proposed design is rearranged with the appropriate geometry, the monostatic RCS reduction value in the 8.0–17.7 range is observed to be higher than 10 dB. CST program (a commercial 3D electromagnetic simulator) was used in simulations. The simulated device was fabricated with a traditional board fabrication technique. Simulation results were verified with free space measurements calibrated by the thru-reflect-line calibration procedure. The performance and efficiency of the proposed polarization converter were compared with other converters in the literature.

Ultrafast All-Optical Switching Modulation of Terahertz Polarization Conversion Metasurfaces Based on Silicon.

With the development of ultrafast optics, all-optical control of terahertz wave modulation based on semiconductors has become an important technology of terahertz wave regulation. In this article, an ultrawideband terahertz linear polarization converter consisting of a double-layered metasurface is first proposed. The polarization conversion ratio of the device is ∼ 100% at 0.2-2.2 THz, and the transmission of copolarization approaches zero in the full band, which demonstrates the ability of high-purity output with rotating input linear polarization of 90° over an ultrawideband. By analysis of the surface current and electric field distribution, the physical mechanism of polarization conversion is elucidated. In addition, the influence of important geometric parameters on the device is discussed and analyzed in detail, which provides theoretical support for the design of high-performance polarization converters. More importantly, by introducing semiconductor silicon to construct an actively controllable metasurface, we design all-optical polarization converters based on a meta-atomic molecularization metasurface and all-dielectric metasurface; the dynamically tunable ultrawideband linear polarization conversion is realized under optical pumping, which solves the inherent problem of the performance of the metasurface polarization converters. Numerical simulation shows that the switching response of the two types of actively controllable devices under optical pumping is about 700 and 1800 ps, respectively, and can manipulate polarized wave conversion ultrafast, which brings new opportunities for all-optical controlled ultrafast terahertz polarization converters. Our results provide a feasible scheme for the development of state-of-the-art active and controllable ultrafast terahertz metasurface polarization converters, which have great application potential in short-range wireless terahertz communication, ultrafast optical switches, the transient spectrum, and optical polarization control devices.

Ultra-broadband high-efficiency cross-polarization conversion and amplitude-phase manipulable multi-functional wavefront manipulation based on terahertz metasurface

Drawing upon the physical phenomenon of polarization transformation, this paper proposes an ultra-broadband, high-efficiency linear polarization converter composed of a metallic grating, an L-shaped metallic patch, and a dielectric substrate. The polarization conversion properties have been scrutinized using the finite element numerical simulation software CST. The computational outcomes reveal that the polarization converter operates within the frequency range of 0.5 THz to 1.8 THz, exhibiting a relative bandwidth of 113%, a transmission coefficient exceeding 0.87, a polarization conversion efficiency approaching 100%, and a phase coverage spanning 360°. Furthermore, a Fabry–Perot interference model was established utilizing Matlab to corroborate the concurrence between the theoretical analysis and the numerical findings. The polarization converter metasurface amalgamates both phase and transmission amplitude variations to accomplish not only a two-dimensional focusing lens operating between 1.55 THz and 1.65 THz, but also a spatial imaging capability utilizing transmission amplitude variation within the 0.5 THz to 1.15 THz range. The outcomes demonstrate that the devised metasurface exhibits ultra-broadband and high transmission efficacy, thus providing novel insights for the versatility of terahertz wave polarization and phase manipulation.

Linear Polarization Conversion Based on Symmetry‐Breaking in an Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Structure

AbstractTraditional polarization converters suffer from drawbacks such as significant thickness and high losses, which limit their practical applications. This study introduces a novel metamaterial structure that combines electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with linear polarization conversion to overcome these limitations. By harnessing the properties of EIT, this structure achieves low‐loss polarization conversion. The mechanism behind this is the generation of an EIT effect through the coupling of the light and dark modes. Additionally, this study focuses on introducing a slight vertical polarization symmetry disruption and inducing the excitation of small components within the dipole of the EIT structure to achieve close‐to‐complete cross‐polarization conversion. The effect of asymmetry on the polarization conversion rate is also explored. This study offers an innovative approach to designing low‐loss polarization converters utilizing EIT technology.

Broadband Linear Polarization Converter Based on Slot-Line Loaded Structure for Pre-Determined Notched Band

This brief proposes a broadband linear polarization converter with pre-determined notched band. By loading a H-shaped slot line on the basis of the rectangular resonator, a pair of resonator modes as well as pre-determined polarization conversion zeros can be additionally allocated inside the band, thereby realizing broadband and band-notch characteristics, simultaneously. The multi-mode resonant mechanism to realize broadband and the conversion zero control principle for notched band are analyzed in detail. Finally, a notch-band broadband linear polarization converter is designed and fabricated, and the simulated and measured results are agreed well with each other. As the main advantage, the proposed multi-mode resonant structure realizing the notched band can achieve flexible isolation band design while hardly affecting the broadband filtering characteristics, and is especially suitable for pre-determined spectrum windows of broadband electromagnetic control devices.

Flexible rotation of linear polarization conversion with a frequency selective surface

A high-efficiency transmitted polarization converter based on a frequency selective surface (FSS) is proposed in this paper. The FSS-based polarization converter (FSS-PC) is designed based on receiving-via-transmitting (RVT) structure. The receiving and transmitting antenna structures are interconnected by the transmission line, designed in the form of metallized via holes. For any linearly polarized (LP) electromagnetic wave, our proposed FSS-PC has the capability to convert it into another LP electromagnetic wave. This converted wave will have a counterclockwise rotation angle of 2φ relative to the incident wave at 11 GHz. This is achieved by adjusting the relative azimuth φ between the polarization plane of the incident LP wave's electric field and the converter. Meanwhile, the FSS-PC can achieve exceptionally high polarization conversion above −0.30 dB at the central frequency of 11 GHz. Furthermore, as the azimuth of the incident electric field varies, this high-efficiency polarization conversion capability remains stable. The prototype has been fabricated and measured, and the measured results agree well with the simulated ones, thus confirming the effectiveness of the proposed design.

A Tunable Dual‐Band Flexible Polarization Converter Based on Vanadium Dioxide Reflective Metasurface

A flexible dual‐band efficient polarization converter is realized by both coupled mode theory (CMT) analysis and numerical simulation in the microwave regime. The proposed structure can convert linearly polarized electromagnetic waves into their orthogonal components in the two sidebands. Moreover, a specular reflection performance is obtained in the central frequency band. The polarization conversion ratio (PCR) and operating bandwidth of dual band is dynamically modulated by vanadium dioxide (VO2). In the simulation results, it is shown that the proposed metasurface can achieve linear polarization conversion in 8.17–12.87 and 14.63–18.92 GHz in the insulating phase. PCRs of the dual band are 97.06% and 98.13%, the corresponding relative bandwidths (RBs) are 44.68% and 25.58%. In the metallic phase, the PCRs in 6.81–13.95 and 16.23–18.16 GHz are 91.12% (RB = 68.79%) and 96.92% (RB = 11.22%). The analyses of the phase difference (u–v coordinate system) and the surface current are given to explain the mechanisms of dual‐band and high PCR. The simulation results are in good agreement with those of CMT. Furthermore, the structure has a robust response to the oblique incidence angle (up to 30°) and has polarization insensitivity. The proposed metasurface has great potential applications in antenna radiation, biosensing, and stealth technology.

Wideband 1-bit reconfigurable transmission metasurface unit cell design in Ka-band with polarization hold and conversion

In this paper, a wideband transmission unit cell is proposed for programmable metasurfaces operating in the Ka-band. The unit cell features a compact period of only 2.91 mm, corresponding to 0.34 λ0 at the center frequency of 35 GHz. A receiving layer, consisting of a patch loaded with two PIN diodes, is utilized to achieve 1-bit phase modulation, while a U-shaped patch serves as the transmitting layer to enable selection of linear polarization hold or conversion. Based on the multi-resonance principle, the proposed unit cell exhibits broadband behavior, as demonstrated by simulation results under periodic boundary conditions, which indicate a 3 dB transmission bandwidth of 29.4–40 GHz (30.5%). Two unit cells were fabricated and tested in a standard waveguide, with the minimum insertion loss of the two states tested being 1.2 dB and 3 dB bandwidths of 30.1–31.2 GHz and 33.5–38.5 GHz, respectively. The maximum 180° phase error is 10°, indicating the high quality of the proposed unit cell.

A reconfigurable multifunctional polarization converter based on active metasurface

In this paper, we report a reconfigurable multifunctional polarization converter (RMPC) based on positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) diodes, enabling to achieve different functions in different bands and states. The simulations and experiments show that when the PIN diode is off, it acts as a broadband linear polarization (LP) converter at 9.12–15.93 GHz. Simultaneously, when the PIN diode is on, the LP incident wave is converted into a left-handed circular polarization wave at 8.69–11.41 GHz and a cross-polarization wave at 13.40–14.97 GHz, whereas full reflection is obtained at 12.05–12.54 GHz. The RMPC consists of two dielectric plates and three layers of metal copper plates. Finally, a sample was fabricated and measured, the simulated and experimental results were in good agreement. Compared with other works, the RMPC has more working states and wider operating frequency bands, which has an application potential in the field of radar stealth and satellite communication.

A dynamically switchable metamaterial device with multiple functions based on vanadium dioxide

Based on the phase transition properties of vanadium dioxide (VO2), a metamaterial device is designed in this paper, which can achieve multiple switchable functions. When VO2 is in the metallic state, the proposed device can realize broadband absorption with peak absorbance more than 90 % in the frequency range of 2.40–6.73 THz and broadband linear polarization conversion (LPC) with polarization conversion ratio (PCR) greater than 90% in the range of 1.80–4.21 THz, respectively, depending on whether the incidence of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic (EM) wave is from top side or bottom side. When VO2 is in the insulated state, the proposed device can achieve LPC of half-reflection and half-transmission (HRHT) and transmissive linear-to-circular (LTC) polarization conversion. The study in this paper has guiding significance in the design of THz metamaterial devices with multiple functions.