3-D Pattern Modulation Surfaces Using Short-Circuited Slotline Structure: Proposal, Design, and Implementation

This article presents the proposal, design, and implementation of 3-D pattern modulation surfaces (PMSs) using short-circuited slotline structure. First, the reflection coefficient of short-circuited slotline with a certain length is studied using the equivalent transmission line model. Since the magnitude of its reflection coefficient nearly equals 1, the TE-polarized incident plane wave can be almost fully reflected at the input terminal of each short-circuited slotline. Most importantly, the phase of its reflection coefficient can be freely changed and adjusted by only varying the length of short-circuited slotline. Then, the short-circuited slotline structure is used as the key element of the proposed PMS. In this way, the functionality of pattern modulation is obtained by unequally selecting the lengths of a row of short-circuited slotlines. Finally, three prototypes with modulated angles of 15°, 30°, and 45° are fabricated and tested to validate our design concept. The measured results agree well with the calculations, showing that the predicted reflection angles are realized using short-circuited slotlines. Therefore, the proposed 3-D PMS is evidently verified to be a promising candidate for future wireless networks to achieve pattern modulation in a smart radio environment.