Integrated intelligent metasurface

Abstract

The invention discloses an integrated intelligent metasurface, and belongs to the technical field of antenna engineering. In each metasurface unit of the integrated intelligent metasurface, two functional electrodes of one phase modulation switch are electrically connected with the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet respectively, and two functional electrodes of the other phase modulation switch are electrically connected with the second radiation sheet and the third radiation sheet respectively. The two-dimensional electron gas layer of one phase modulation switch is respectively in ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode and the second control electrode, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the other phase modulation switch is respectively in ohmic contact connection with the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode. The first control electrode and the second control electrode control the on-off state of one phase modulation switch, and the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode control the on-off state of the other phase modulation switch, so that two single-layer phase modulation switches are utilized to realize 2-bit phase modulation, and the integrated intelligent metasurface is relatively low in coupling capacitance, and is favorable for reducing insertion loss and improving gain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of antenna engineering technology, and in particular, relates to an integrated intelligent metasurface. Background Art

[0002] At present, 6G communication technology has put forward a series of requirements in terms of data transmission rate, number of connections, latency, etc. Since terahertz communication technology in the frequency range of 0.1THz to 10THz has ultra-large bandwidth and ultra-high communication rate, terahertz communication technology has become one of the core technologies in 6G communication technology.

[0003] In order to overcome the serious path loss and high cost problems in terahertz communication, an integrated smart metasurface is usually deployed between the base station and the end user. However, in the high-frequency band, the existing phase-modulation switch makes the integrated smart metasurface have a large insertion loss. How to reduce the insertion loss and increase the gain is a key research direction in the field of terahertz communication technology. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides an integrated intelligent metasurface, which aims to reduce insertion loss and increase gain, thereby achieving high-bit response in the high-frequency terahertz band and realizing wide-coverage ultra-wideband efficient beam scanning.

[0005] The integrated intelligent metasurface includes multiple metasurface units, each of which includes a substrate, a grounding plate arranged on one side of the substrate, and a first radiation plate, a second radiation plate, a third radiation plate, two phase-adjusting switches, a first control electrode, a second control electrode, a third control electrode, and a fourth control electrode arranged on a side of the substrate away from the grounding plate.

[0006] Among them, the phase-modulating switch includes a two-dimensional electron gas layer and two functional electrodes stacked in sequence on a substrate. Among the two phase-modulating switches, the two functional electrodes of one phase-modulating switch are electrically connected to the first radiation plate and the second radiation plate respectively, and the two functional electrodes of the other phase-modulating switch are electrically connected to the second radiation plate and the third radiation plate respectively.

[0007] Of the two phase-modulating switches, the two-dimensional electron gas layer of one phase-modulating switch forms ohmic contact connections with the first control electrode and the second control electrode respectively, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the other phase-modulating switch forms ohmic contact connections with the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode respectively.

[0008] In some embodiments, the two phase-modulating switches include a first phase-modulating switch and a second phase-modulating switch, the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the first phase-modulating switch includes a first control line and a first active region, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the second phase-modulating switch includes a second control line and a second active region. The orthographic projection of the first active region on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projections of the two functional electrodes of the first phase-modulating switch on the substrate, and the first control line forms an ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode and the second control electrode respectively. The orthographic projection of the second active region on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projections of the two functional electrodes of the second phase-modulating switch on the substrate, and the second control line forms an ohmic contact connection with the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode respectively.

[0009] In some embodiments, the phase-adjusting switch further includes two conductive bridges. The two phase-adjusting switches include a first phase-adjusting switch and a second phase-adjusting switch, wherein a functional electrode of the first phase-adjusting switch is sequentially connected to the first radiation sheet through a conductive bridge, and another functional electrode of the first phase-adjusting switch is sequentially connected to the second radiation sheet through another conductive bridge. A functional electrode of the second phase-adjusting switch is sequentially connected to the second radiation sheet through a conductive bridge, and another functional electrode of the second phase-adjusting switch is sequentially connected to the third radiation sheet through another conductive bridge.

[0010] In some embodiments, the metasurface unit also includes a third control line, a fourth control line, and a fifth control line arranged on the side of the substrate away from the ground plane, the third control line is electrically connected to the first radiation plate, the fourth control line is electrically connected to the third radiation plate, and the fifth control line is electrically connected to the second radiation plate.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first radiation plate, the second radiation plate and the third radiation plate are arranged along a first direction parallel to the substrate, the first control electrode and the second control electrode are arranged along a second direction parallel to the substrate, the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode are arranged along the second direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the shapes of the first radiation plate, the second radiation plate and the third radiation plate include one of a rectangle, a square or an n-gon, where n≥5.

[0013] In some embodiments, the side of the two-dimensional electron gas layer close to the substrate further includes an active layer, and the side of the two-dimensional electron gas layer away from the substrate further includes a barrier layer. The material of the active layer includes IIIA-VA group materials, and the material of the barrier layer includes IIIA-VA group materials.

[0014] In some embodiments, the material of the active layer includes GaN, and the material of the barrier layer includes AlGaN.

[0015] In some embodiments, a plurality of metasurface units are arranged in an array, including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and the two phase-modulating switches in each metasurface unit include a first phase-modulating switch and a second phase-modulating switch, and the two-dimensional electron gas layers of the first phase-modulating switches of each row of metasurface units are connected, and the two-dimensional electron gas layers of the second phase-modulating switches of each row of metasurface units are connected. And / or, the first radiation plates of each row of metasurface units are connected, the second radiation plates of each row of metasurface units are connected, and the third radiation plates of each row of metasurface units are connected.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, the integrated intelligent metasurface includes a plurality of metasurface units, each metasurface unit includes two phase-modulating switches, and each phase-modulating switch includes a two-dimensional electron gas layer and two functional electrodes stacked in sequence on a substrate. The two functional electrodes of one phase-modulating switch are electrically connected to the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet, respectively, and the two functional electrodes of the other phase-modulating switch are electrically connected to the second radiation sheet and the third radiation sheet, respectively. Since each phase-modulating switch has two states, namely, on and off, the two states, namely, on and off, produce a phase difference of 180°. The digital coding of binary "0" is used to represent the off state, and the digital coding of binary "1" is used to represent the on state. In the present application, the two phase-modulating switches have a total of four states, namely, "00", "01", "10" and "11", and 2-bit phase modulation is realized based on the two phase-modulating switches.

[0017] Furthermore, the two-dimensional electron gas layer of one phase-modulating switch forms an ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode and the second control electrode respectively, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer of another phase-modulating switch forms an ohmic contact connection with the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode respectively. In the embodiment of the present application, the control of the on or off state of the phase-modulating switch can be achieved by controlling the two-dimensional electron gas layer through the corresponding control electrode. Different from the triode, the phase-modulating switch in the present application has no gate and does not need to set the gate wiring, and the structure is simpler. Moreover, based on the structure of this phase-modulating switch, the integrated intelligent metasurface in the present application is greatly reduced in equivalent capacitance and resistance, thereby reducing insertion loss and improving gain. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated intelligent metasurface provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1A cross-sectional view of the integrated intelligent metasurface along the section line AA';

[0022] Figure 4 An equivalent circuit diagram provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 5 A metasurface unit phase control diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the conduction state of the phase modulation switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the disconnected state of the phase-modulating switch provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in some embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments provided by the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprising" is to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, ie, meaning "including, but not limited to."

[0028] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0029] When describing some embodiments, the term "connection" and its derivative expressions may be used. The term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For example, when describing some embodiments, the term "connection" may be used to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other.

[0030] Additionally, the use of “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, as a process, step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more stated conditions or values ​​may, in practice, be based on additional conditions or values ​​beyond those stated.

[0031] It will be understood that when a layer or an element is referred to as being on another layer or substrate, it can be directly on the other layer or substrate, or intervening layers may be present between the layer or element and the other layer or substrate.

[0032] Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views that are idealized exemplary drawings. In the drawings, the thickness of layers and the area of ​​regions are exaggerated for clarity. Therefore, variations in shape relative to the drawings due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances are conceivable. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments should not be interpreted as being limited to the shapes of the regions shown herein, but include deviations in shape due to, for example, manufacturing. Therefore, the regions shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of regions of the device, and are not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0033] Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0034] In related research, in order to overcome the serious path loss and high cost in microwave high-frequency bands and terahertz communications, integrated smart metasurfaces are usually deployed between base stations and end users for flexible phase control and fine beam focusing. However, commonly used semiconductor switching elements and classic beam steering methods are difficult to apply in high-frequency (0.1THz and above) terahertz bands due to limitations in response speed or system complexity. In related research, integrated smart metasurfaces that can be applied to high-frequency bands have the problem of large insertion loss.

[0035] To solve the above problems, the present application provides an integrated intelligent metasurface, which aims to reduce insertion loss, increase gain, and thereby achieve high-bit response in the high-frequency band and realize wide-coverage ultra-wideband efficient beam scanning.

[0036] like Figure 1-2 As shown, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated intelligent metasurface provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] The integrated intelligent metasurface 1 includes a plurality of metasurface units 10, and the metasurface unit 10 includes a substrate 101, a grounding plate 102 disposed on one side of the substrate 101, and a first radiation plate 21, a second radiation plate 22, a third radiation plate 23, two phase-adjusting switches 30, a first control electrode 41, a second control electrode 42, a third control electrode 43, and a fourth control electrode 44 disposed on a side of the substrate 101 away from the grounding plate 102. One of the two phase-adjusting switches 30 can be recorded as a first phase-adjusting switch 31, and the other can be recorded as a second phase-adjusting switch 32.

[0038] Among them, the phase-modulating switch 30 includes a two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 and two functional electrodes 60 stacked in sequence on a substrate 101. Among the two phase-modulating switches 30, the two functional electrodes 60 of the first phase-modulating switch 31 are electrically connected to the first radiation plate 21 and the second radiation plate 22 respectively, and the two functional electrodes 60 of the second phase-modulating switch 32 are electrically connected to the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 respectively.

[0039] The two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the first phase modulation switch 31 forms ohmic contact with the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 respectively, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the second phase modulation switch 32 forms ohmic contact with the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 respectively.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, the integrated intelligent metasurface 1 is realized by improving the HEMT device structure. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the integrated intelligent metasurface along section line AA'.

[0041] Exemplarily, the material of the ground plate 102 includes metal, which is used to form a resonant cavity with the corresponding radiation plate to modulate the radiation wave, and is used for working grounding. The substrate 101 can be a sapphire substrate, or other semiconductors with a crystal structure, such as silicon carbide, high-resistance silicon, etc. Exemplarily, the thickness of the substrate 101 is 0.2nm.

[0042] Accordingly, the film structure between the substrate 101 and the functional electrode 60 is the epitaxial structure of the phase-modulating switch 30. It is understandable that the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22, and the third radiation plate 23 are all located on the surface of the epitaxial structure of the phase-modulating switch 30 away from the substrate 101.

[0043] In the epitaxial structure of the phase-modulating switch 30, the side of the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 close to the substrate 101 further includes an active layer 104, and the side of the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 away from the substrate 101 further includes a barrier layer 105. The two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 here is formed by the active layer 104 and the barrier layer 105 forming a heterostructure.

[0044] To avoid lattice mismatch and dislocation, in some embodiments, a buffer layer 1011 is further disposed between the substrate 101 and the active layer 104. To achieve a good conductive effect, in some embodiments, an insertion layer 1051 is further disposed between the active layer 104 and the barrier layer 105.

[0045] Since the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the first phase-modulating switch 31 forms an ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 respectively, the electron concentration in the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 can be adjusted by applying voltage to the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42. When the electron concentration in the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 is high, its microwave circuit can be equivalent to a small resistor and a large capacitor, and the first phase-modulating switch 31 is in an on state. When the electron concentration in the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 is low, its microwave circuit can be equivalent to a large resistor and a small capacitor, and the first phase-modulating switch 31 is in an off state.

[0046] Similarly, since the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the second phase modulation switch 32 forms an ohmic contact connection with the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 respectively, the opening and closing state of the second phase modulation switch 32 can be controlled by applying a voltage to the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44.

[0047] The embodiment of the present application uses two single-layer phase modulation switches 30 to achieve 2-bit phase modulation. The working principle under ideal conditions is as follows:

[0048] Since the two functional electrodes 60 of the first phase-modulating switch 31 are electrically connected to the first radiation plate 21 and the second radiation plate 22 respectively, and the two functional electrodes 60 of the second phase-modulating switch 32 are electrically connected to the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 respectively, the opening and closing state of the first phase-modulating switch 31 and the opening and closing state of the second phase-modulating switch 32 will affect the coupling state of the resonant cavities corresponding to the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 during the radiation wave modulation process.

[0049] For example, when the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is disconnected, it is equivalent to a state of a small capacitor and a large resistor, and a binary digital code of "1" is used to represent this state. When the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is turned on, it is equivalent to a state of a large capacitor and a small resistor, and a binary digital code of "0" is used to represent this state. Based on this, the two phase-adjusting switches in the present application have four states of "00", "01", "10" and "11", where the first bit of the code represents the state of the first switch modulator 31, and the second bit of the code represents the state of the second switch modulator 32. For example, the "01" state represents that the first switch modulator 31 is turned on and the second switch modulator 32 is turned off, and so on.

[0050] Furthermore, in the equivalent circuit, the change of the opening and closing state of the phase-adjusting switch 30 can be equivalent to the change of the capacitance. Based on this, the change of the coupling state can be understood through the change of an equivalent circuit.

[0051] like Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 An equivalent circuit diagram provided for an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second radiation plate 22 is designed according to a basic phase φ1, so that the starting phase of the metasurface unit in the "00" state is φ1. At this time, the equivalent circuit of the metasurface unit is as follows: Figure 4 The dashed box P shows a parallel circuit of capacitors, inductors and resistors. Preferably, the φ1 phase angle range is less than -90°.

[0053] When the metasurface unit is in the "01" state, the phase of the metasurface unit is φ1+90°. At this time, the first switch modulator 31 is turned on, and the resonant cavities corresponding to the second radiation plate 22 and the first radiation plate 21 are coupled. Based on this, the first radiation plate 21 is designed according to the phase φ1+180°, such as Figure 4 As shown in the dashed box Q, compared with the "00" state, the changed inductance L corresponds to the equivalent inductance of the first radiation plate 21, and the changed capacitance C corresponds to the equivalent capacitance after the first switch modulator 31 and the first radiation plate 21 are superimposed. By reasonably designing the first radiation plate 21, the values ​​of the above-mentioned equivalent inductance and equivalent capacitance can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the equivalent circuit of the metasurface unit in this state until the phase of the metasurface unit in this state is φ1+90°.

[0054] When the metasurface unit is in the "10" state, the phase of the metasurface unit is φ1+180°. At this time, the second switch modulator 32 is turned on, and the resonant cavities corresponding to the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 are coupled. Similar to the design process of the first radiation plate 21 in the previous text, the third radiation plate 23 is designed according to the phase φ1+270°, and the equivalent circuit of the metasurface unit in this state is adjusted until the phase of the metasurface unit in this state is φ1+180°.

[0055] When the metasurface unit is in the "11" state, the phase of the metasurface unit is φ1+270°. At this time, the first switch modulator 31 and the second switch modulator 32 are both turned on, and the resonant cavities corresponding to the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 are coupled.

[0056] For example, Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A phase control diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 It can be seen that the integrated intelligent metasurface in the embodiment of the present application can form four phase state regulation through the integrated integration of two phase-adjusting switches 30 and three radiation plates, realize 2-bit phase modulation, and ultimately achieve phase regulation within a 360° range.

[0057] Furthermore, unlike a triode, the embodiment of the present application is improved on the basis of the HEMT device structure, the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the first phase-modulating switch 31 forms an ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 respectively, the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the second phase-modulating switch 32 forms an ohmic contact connection with the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 respectively, the first control electrode 41, the second control electrode 42, the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 are used for an external control power supply, based on this, on the surface where the four control electrodes are located, the wiring can be reduced and the physical space can be saved.

[0058] In the control of the phase-modulation switch 30, the control of the on or off state of the phase-modulation switch 30 is achieved by controlling the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 through the corresponding control electrode, that is, the phase-modulation switch 30 in the present application has no gate, does not need to set the gate wiring, and has a simpler structure. The triode under the traditional HEMT device structure needs to form a gate, but the physical space of the terahertz device is limited and dense drilling is difficult, which will lead to the gate in the device suitable for terahertz communication. The gate has high requirements for production process accuracy and is difficult to prepare. The integrated intelligent metasurface provided by the present application can avoid this problem by not setting a gate.

[0059] Moreover, compared with the triode under the traditional HEMT device structure, the coupling capacitance formed by the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the phase-modulating switch 30 in the present application and the corresponding functional electrode 60 is very small, thereby making the integrated intelligent metasurface equivalent capacitance and resistance small, thereby reducing insertion loss and improving gain. For example, compared with the phase-modulating switch in the related art, the insertion loss of the phase-modulating switch in the present application is reduced by no less than 5dB.

[0060] In some embodiments, Figure 2As shown, the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the first phase modulation switch 31 includes a first control line 51 and a first active area 510, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 of the second phase modulation switch 32 includes a second control line 52 and a second active area 520. The orthographic projection of the first active area 510 on the substrate 101 overlaps with the orthographic projections of the two functional electrodes 60 of the first phase modulation switch 31 on the substrate 101, and the first control line 51 is electrically connected to the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42. The orthographic projection of the second active area 520 on the substrate 101 overlaps with the orthographic projections of the two functional electrodes 60 of the second phase modulation switch 32 on the substrate 101, and the second control line 52 is electrically connected to the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44.

[0061] It can be understood that the first control line 51 and the second control line 52 are not physical structures, but virtual structures equivalent to connecting lines formed by controlling the morphology of the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 during the preparation process. The first control line 51 is the control line of the first phase-modulating switch 31 used by the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 using the conductivity of the two-dimensional electron gas, and the voltage applied to the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 can be equivalent to the voltage applied to the first control line 51. Similarly, the second control line 52 is the control line of the second phase-modulating switch 32 used by the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 using the conductivity of the two-dimensional electron gas, and the voltage applied to the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 can be equivalent to the voltage applied to the second control line 52.

[0062] The orthographic projection of the first active area 510 on the substrate 101 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the two functional electrodes 60 of the first phase-modulating switch 31 on the substrate 101. By controlling the magnitude of the voltage applied to the two functional electrodes 60 of the first phase-modulating switch 31 and the first control line 51, the two-dimensional electron gas concentration of the first active area 510 can be controlled, thereby controlling the opening and closing state of the first phase-modulating switch 31.

[0063] Similarly, the orthographic projection of the second active area 520 on the substrate 101 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the two functional electrodes 60 of the second phase-modulating switch 32 on the substrate 101. By controlling the magnitude of the voltage applied to the two functional electrodes 60 of the second phase-modulating switch 32 and the second control line 52, the two-dimensional electron gas concentration of the second active area 520 can be controlled, thereby controlling the opening and closing state of the second phase-modulating switch 32.

[0064] Based on this, the routing design of the metasurface unit can be saved, that is, the routing design on the surface of the epitaxial structure of the phase modulation switch 30 away from the substrate 101 can be saved, thereby saving physical space.

[0065] In some embodiments, Figure 2As shown, each phase-adjusting switch 30 further includes two conductive bridges 61. One functional electrode 60 of the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is sequentially connected to the first radiation plate 21 through one conductive bridge 61, and another functional electrode 60 of the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is sequentially connected to the second radiation plate 22 through another conductive bridge 61. One functional electrode 60 of the second phase-adjusting switch 32 is sequentially connected to the second radiation plate 22 through one conductive bridge 61, and another functional electrode 60 of the second phase-adjusting switch 32 is sequentially connected to the third radiation plate 23 through another conductive bridge 61.

[0066] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the functional electrode 60 is located on the same surface as the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23, and the conductive bridge 61 is used to realize a good electrical connection between the functional electrode 60 and the corresponding first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 or the third radiation plate 23. The existence of the conductive bridge 61 makes it more convenient to electrically connect the functional electrode 60 with the corresponding radiation plate, that is, it will not affect the function of the functional electrode 60 to control the concentration of the two-dimensional electron gas in the corresponding active area, nor will it affect the function of the corresponding radiation plate.

[0067] like Figure 6-7 As shown, Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the conduction state of the phase modulation switch provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the disconnected state of the phase-modulating switch provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] Taking the first phase-adjusting switch 31 as an example, by applying a voltage to the first control electrode 41 and / or the second control electrode 42, the two-dimensional electron gas concentration of the first active region 510 can be adjusted under the conductive effect of the first control line 51. When the two-dimensional electron gas concentration is high, the two functional electrodes 60 can be electrically connected through the two-dimensional electron gas with a higher concentration in the corresponding first active region 510, so that the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is in a conducting state. Correspondingly, when the two-dimensional electron gas concentration is low, the two functional electrodes 60 cannot be well electrically connected, so that the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is in a disconnected state.

[0069] The second phase modulation switch 32 is similar.

[0070] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the metasurface unit 10 also includes a third control line 71, a fourth control line 72 and a fifth control line 73 arranged on the side of the substrate 101 away from the ground plate 102, the third control line 71 is electrically connected to the first radiation plate 21, the fourth control line 72 is electrically connected to the third radiation plate 23, and the fifth control line 73 is electrically connected to the second radiation plate 22.

[0071] It can be understood that the third control line 71 , the fourth control line 72 and the fifth control line 73 are wires arranged on the same layer as the first radiation plate 21 , the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 , and belong to a physical structure.

[0072] The third control line 71 is electrically connected to the first radiation plate 21, and the first radiation plate 21 is electrically connected to a functional electrode 60 of the first phase-adjusting switch 31. Ignoring voltage loss, the voltage value at the third control line 71 is approximately equal to the voltage value at the corresponding functional electrode 60. The fifth control line 73 is electrically connected to the second radiation plate 22, and the second radiation plate 22 is electrically connected to another functional electrode 60 of the first phase-adjusting switch 31. Ignoring voltage loss, the voltage value at the fifth control line 73 is approximately equal to the voltage value at the corresponding functional electrode 60.

[0073] Based on this, the third control line 71 and the fifth control line 73 are used to connect one end of the control power supply of the first phase-adjusting switch 31, and the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 (equivalent to the first control line 51) are used to connect the other end of the control power supply of the first phase-adjusting switch 31, thereby controlling the opening and closing state of the first phase-adjusting switch 31.

[0074] Exemplarily, in some embodiments, when the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 are grounded (that is, equivalent to the first control line 51 being grounded), and the third control line 71 and the fifth control line 73 are connected to a positive voltage, the two-dimensional electron gas concentration in the first active region 510 corresponding to the two functional electrodes 60 is low due to the voltage, and a good electrical connection cannot be formed between the two functional electrodes 60, and the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is in an off state. When the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 are grounded (that is, equivalent to the first control line 51 being grounded), and the third control line 71 is not applied with a voltage or connected to 0V, the first phase-adjusting switch 31 is in an on state.

[0075] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, when the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 are connected to a negative voltage (that is, equivalent to the first control line 51 being connected to a negative voltage) and the third control line 71 and the fifth control line 73 are grounded, the two-dimensional electron gas concentration in the first active area 510 corresponding to the two functional electrodes 60 is low, a good electrical connection cannot be formed between the two functional electrodes 60, and the first phase modulation switch 31 is in an off state.

[0076] Similarly, referring to the above control method, when the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 are grounded (that is, the second control line 52 is grounded), and the fourth control line 72 and the fifth control line 73 are connected to a positive voltage, the second phase-adjusting switch 32 is in an off state. When the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 are grounded (that is, the second control line 52 is grounded), and the fourth control line 72 is not applied with a voltage or is connected to 0V, the second phase-adjusting switch 32 is in an on state.

[0077] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, when the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 are connected to a negative voltage (ie, the second control line 52 is connected to a negative voltage) and the fourth control line 72 and the fifth control line 73 are grounded, the second phase modulation switch 32 is in an open state.

[0078] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the shapes of the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 include a rectangle, a square or an n-gon, where n≥5.

[0079] Combined with the working principle of using two phase-adjusting switches 30 to form 2-bit phase-adjusting, the parameters of equivalent inductance and equivalent capacitance in the equivalent circuit can be adjusted by adjusting the shapes and sizes of the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23. Through reasonable design, an ideal phase-adjusting effect can be achieved.

[0080] As mentioned above, the two-dimensional electron gas layer 103 is formed by forming a heterostructure between the active layer 104 and the barrier layer 105. To form a good two-dimensional electron gas layer 103, in some embodiments, the material of the active layer 104 includes a IIIA-VA group material, and the material of the barrier layer 105 includes a IIIA-VA group material, such as silicon, gallium, nitrogen, arsenic, germanium, etc.

[0081] For example, in some embodiments, the material of the active layer 104 includes GaN, and the material of the barrier layer 105 includes AlGaN. Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, an insertion layer 1051 is further provided between the active layer 104 and the barrier layer 105, and the material of the insertion layer 1051 includes AlN. In addition, the material of the buffer layer 1011 includes Al(Ga)N.

[0082] GaN and AlGaN can form a heterojunction, and a two-dimensional potential well is formed at the heterojunction interface. Positive charges attract electrons to form a two-dimensional electron gas in the potential well. The two-dimensional electron gas is confined in the potential well and can only move two-dimensionally along a plane parallel to the heterojunction interface. Based on this, the activity space of the two-dimensional electron gas is controlled, and then the first control line 51 and the second control line 52 can be formed.

[0083] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the first radiation plate 21, the second radiation plate 22 and the third radiation plate 23 are arranged along a first direction Y parallel to the substrate 101, the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 are arranged along a second direction X parallel to the substrate 101, the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 are arranged along the second direction X, and the first direction Y intersects with the second direction X.

[0084] In some embodiments, Figure 1As shown, a plurality of metasurface units 10 are arranged in an array, including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and the two phase-modulating switches 30 in each metasurface unit 10 include a first phase-modulating switch 31 and a second phase-modulating switch 32 .

[0085] The two-dimensional electron gas layers 103 of the first phase modulation switches 31 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, and the two-dimensional electron gas layers 103 of the second phase modulation switches 32 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected.

[0086] Alternatively, the first radiation plates 21 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, the second radiation plates 22 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, and the third radiation plates 23 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected.

[0087] Alternatively, the two-dimensional electron gas layers 103 of the first phase-modulating switches 31 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, the two-dimensional electron gas layers 103 of the second phase-modulating switches 32 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, and the first radiation plates 21 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, the second radiation plates 22 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected, and the third radiation plates 23 of each row of metasurface units 10 are connected.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the directions of the first control line 51, the second control line 52, the third control line 71, and the fourth control line 72 are all parallel to the second direction X. The third control lines 71 of the multiple metasurface units 10 in each row are connected, so that the first radiation plates 21 of the multiple metasurface units 10 are connected. The fourth control lines 72 of the multiple metasurface units 10 in each row are connected, so that the third radiation plates 23 of the multiple metasurface units 10 are connected. The fifth control lines 73 of the multiple metasurface units 10 in each row are connected, so that the second radiation plates 22 of the multiple metasurface units 10 are connected.

[0089] The two-dimensional electron gas layers 103 of the first phase-adjusting switches 31 of the multiple metasurface units 10 in each row are connected, or are electrically connected through the first control electrode 41 and the second control electrode 42 of each metasurface unit 10, which is ultimately equivalent to the first control line 51 of each row of multiple metasurfaces 10. The two-dimensional electron gas layers 103 of the second phase-adjusting switches 32 of the metasurface units 10 in each row are connected, or are electrically connected through the third control electrode 43 and the fourth control electrode 44 of each metasurface unit 10, which is ultimately equivalent to the second control line 52 of each row of multiple metasurfaces 10.

[0090] Based on this, the wiring on the integrated intelligent metasurface 1 is simpler and the control is more convenient, which saves physical space and makes more complex designs possible.

[0091] The integrated intelligent metasurfaces in various embodiments provided in this application have simple structures, small volumes, low costs, low requirements for process precision, can be mass-produced, and can all be arranged at the base station end to reduce insertion loss, increase beam gain within the scanning range, and enhance signals. The scanning range of the integrated intelligent metasurface includes any reflection direction on the plane where the integrated intelligent metasurface is located.

[0092] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that a person skilled in the art can think of within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An integrated intelligent metasurface, characterized in that: The invention comprises a plurality of metasurface units, wherein the metasurface units include a substrate, a ground plane arranged on one side of the substrate, and a first radiation plate, a second radiation plate, a third radiation plate, two phase modulation switches, a first control electrode, a second control electrode, a third control electrode and a fourth control electrode arranged on a side of the substrate away from the ground plane; The phase-modulating switch comprises a two-dimensional electron gas layer and two functional electrodes stacked in sequence on the substrate, wherein the two functional electrodes of one phase-modulating switch are electrically connected to the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet respectively, and the two functional electrodes of the other phase-modulating switch are electrically connected to the second radiation sheet and the third radiation sheet respectively; Among the two phase-modulating switches, the two-dimensional electron gas layer of one phase-modulating switch forms an ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode and the second control electrode respectively, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the other phase-modulating switch forms an ohmic contact connection with the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode respectively.

2. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two phase-modulating switches include a first phase-modulating switch and a second phase-modulating switch, the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the first phase-modulating switch includes a first control line and a first active region, and the two-dimensional electron gas layer of the second phase-modulating switch includes a second control line and a second active region; The orthographic projection of the first active region on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projections of two functional electrodes of the first phase modulation switch on the substrate, and the first control line forms an ohmic contact connection with the first control electrode and the second control electrode respectively; The orthographic projection of the second active region on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projections of two functional electrodes of the second phase modulation switch on the substrate, and the second control line forms ohmic contact connections with the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode respectively.

3. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase-modulating switch also includes two conductive bridges; The two phase-adjusting switches include a first phase-adjusting switch and a second phase-adjusting switch, wherein a functional electrode of the first phase-adjusting switch is connected to the first radiation sheet in sequence through a conductive bridge, and another functional electrode of the first phase-adjusting switch is connected to the second radiation sheet in sequence through another conductive bridge; One functional electrode of the second phase-adjusting switch is connected to the second radiation plate in sequence through a conductive bridge, and another functional electrode of the second phase-adjusting switch is connected to the third radiation plate in sequence through another conductive bridge.

4. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metasurface unit further includes a third control line, a fourth control line and a fifth control line arranged on a side of the substrate away from the ground plane; The third control line is electrically connected to the first radiation plate, the fourth control line is electrically connected to the third radiation plate, and the fifth control line is electrically connected to the second radiation plate.

5. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first radiation plate, the second radiation plate and the third radiation plate are arranged along a first direction parallel to the substrate; The first control electrode and the second control electrode are arranged along a second direction parallel to the substrate, and the third control electrode and the fourth control electrode are arranged along the second direction; The first direction intersects with the second direction.

6. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shapes of the first radiation plate, the second radiation plate and the third radiation plate include a rectangle, a square or an n-gon, where n≥5.

7. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side of the two-dimensional electron gas layer close to the substrate further includes an active layer, and the side of the two-dimensional electron gas layer away from the substrate further includes a barrier layer; The material of the active layer includes a IIIA-VA group material, and the material of the barrier layer includes a IIIA-VA group material.

8. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material of the active layer includes GaN, and the material of the barrier layer includes AlGaN.

9. The integrated smart metasurface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of metasurface units are arranged in an array, including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; The two phase-modulating switches in each metasurface unit include a first phase-modulating switch and a second phase-modulating switch, the two-dimensional electron gas layers of the first phase-modulating switches of each row of metasurface units are connected, and the two-dimensional electron gas layers of the second phase-modulating switches of each row of metasurface units are connected; and / or, The first radiation plates of each row of metasurface units are connected, the second radiation plates of each row of metasurface units are connected, and the third radiation plates of each row of metasurface units are connected.

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