PHOEBUS OPTOELECTRONICS LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: We propose a meta-surface consisting of a periodic array of metal-like patches that will a

Description

We propose a meta-surface consisting of a periodic array of metal-like patches that will allow focusing and steering a radiation beam in the millimeter frequency range. The direction of the beam will be controlled by controlling the phase change acquired by the beam as it is transmitted through this metasurface. The phase change at the surface is controlled by the shape and capacitance of metallic features on the surface. Two approaches will be investigated that will allow for active tuning of the steering. One approach will be to actively tune with an applied electrical bias using varactors and transmitarrays, the second approach will use a type of"dynamic lithography"that produces electric charge concentrations on surfaces that act as metal structures and that is fully tunable in an active way. The proposed structures will allow for miniaturization to reduce the form factor to allow for a hand-held device, and will eliminate detuning effects due to temperature fluctuations in the device.