Light-driven Modulation of 1-bit Metamaterial Unit Cells and Arrays

Abstract

Shape-morphing materials have the potential to realise simple, tunable telecommunication arrays without the need for complex circuitry. However, existing devices either lack individual cell control, or require an integrated power supply, reducing their beamsteering ability and increasing size, weight and power consumption. This paper presents a simple, photothermally activated 1-bit reflectarray unit cell requiring no integrated power sources. The unit cell consists of dimer elements, which are connected or disconnected via a photothermally activated electrical bridge to achieve modulation. The paper discusses the shape memory materials used for switching, and presents a design for a photothermal switching mechanism. The unit cell is validated by waveguide experiments, showing strong agreement with simulations at the working frequency of 3.7GHz. Finally, a 4-cell array is created. Each cell is activated sequentially, with good agreement between simulation and experiment, demonstrating the ability to control each cell exclusively. This study therefore demonstrates that a 1-bit unit cell can be photothermally configured without complicated electronics or an integrated power supply, opening the door to a new class of shape-morphing reflectarray.