volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

In this paper, a transmissive linear-to-circular polarization conversion (LCPC) multibeam metasurface is presented, which shows promise for point-to-multipoint transmission in satellite communications under interference conditions. The unit cell consists of four identical metal layers and three dielectric substrates, where each metal layer includes a square ring and a cross-shaped structure. By altering the arm length of the cross-shaped structure, independent control of the phase of x- and y-polarized waves can be achieved. Thus, by keeping the amplitude of the x- and y-polarized waves equal and the phase difference at 90˚, LCPC is realized. Based on the multibeam superposition theorem, the metasurface array is arranged using four discrete elements with a phase gradient of 90˚. It can convert linearly polarized (LP) waves into right-handed circularly polarized (RHCP) waves and generate transmitted multibeam at predetermined angles and gain ratios. Three-beam LCPC metasurfaces with equal and unequal gain in the Ka-band (26 to 40 GHz) were demonstrated to validate the proposed unit cell and methods. The equal gain metasurface has an approximate 11% bandwidth for the 3 dB axial ratio (AR) and a 12% bandwidth for the 3 dB gain. Furthermore, at the center frequency of 30 GHz, the unequal gain metasurface achieves gains of 22.9 dBi, 19.7 dBi, and 17.3 dBi, respectively, with an AR of less than 2 dB for all three beams.

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Ms. Jinfeng He

Professor Honggang Hao

Dr. Ting Zhang

Dr. Dan Yin

Dr. Zhilin Zou