Remotely Controlled Laser-Programmable Microwave Metasurfaces

Programmable metasurfaces have brought significant advance to electromagnetic (EM) and related fields, making it easier and more efficient to manipulate the EM waves and realize higher tuning flexibility and range. However, how to achieve independent control of each unit of the programmable metasurface in a low-overhead and wireless manner remains a challenge. Here, a laser-programmable microwave metasurface is proposed and constructed, in which each unit can be controlled remotely by laser intensity in real time. The key is to design an ultra-compact photoelectric passive boost circuit and integrate it into the meta-unit. In this case, the light sensing-to-power-to-control-to-microwave manipulation process can be fully realized on the highly integrated meta-unit, and thus the metasurface can be completely programmed at the unit level by laser coding patterns, without any wire connections and external power suppliers. As experimental demonstration, a phase-coding laser-programmable microwave metasurface is presented using a laser array. To show the capabilities of the metasurface, 2D beam scanning and vortex beam generation are demonstrated using 1-bit phase modulations under the laser illuminations. This approach offers an effective route for the space lasers to manipulate microwaves accurately, which is helpful in developing advanced functional devices, passive platforms, and photoelectric hybrid systems. The proposed laser-programmable microwave metasurface can be completely programmed at unit level by laser coding patterns, without using wire connections and external power suppliers. Each meta-unit is integrated into a miniaturized photoelectric passive boost circuit that can be driven by light to generate the enough voltage for controlling the loaded varactor, thus microwaves can be fully controlled by 2D laser patterns. image