A Flexible Conformal Multifunctional Time-Modulated Metasurface for Radar Characteristics Manipulation

Time-modulated metasurfaces (TMMs) can achieve extraordinary manipulation of electromagnetic (EM) waves and hold remarkable potential in future information fields. However, many limiting factors, including angular stability, polarization insensitivity, and conformal ability, remain unconsidered for the TMM. Moreover, it is a significant challenge to achieve independent control of orthogonal polarization via the TMM while achieving conformal structure. In this article, a flexible multifunctional TMM (MTMM) with polarization control for conformal applications is proposed to manipulate the spectrum distribution. It can simultaneously achieve amplitude, polarization, and frequency control in a single structure with excellent angular stability and conformality. A Doppler effect with multiple discrete frequency components is implemented based on fast temporal modulation. Furthermore, a conformal MTMM for radar application is explored. It possesses the advantage of manipulating radar echo signals in a wide-angle domain. The modulation effect of the conformal MTMM on the radar is analyzed in detail. Multiple discrete false harmonic peaks are generated. Finally, the MTMM characteristics are tested, and the radar experiments are performed, verifying the validity of the structural design and theoretical method.