Transparent Metasurface to Improve Transmission Through Glass for mm-Wave Arrays in Phones

This letter proposes a wideband (20 GHz) transparent metasurface for mobile phone glass covers. This metasurface enhances 5G/6G millimeter-wave (mm-wave) transmission and mitigates the negative impact of glass on the mm-wave antenna module located beneath the glass rear cover. To achieve high transparency, a 600 nm thick aluminum hexagonal-shaped grid is employed. To achieve wide bandpass behavior and improve angular robustness without increasing thickness or adding additional substrates, a second-order filter has been designed. Simulations and measurements have been performed to verify the model. The 3-D radiation patterns confirm that the metasurface can reduce the effects of glass on the top of the antenna and provide a single beam broadside radiation pattern.