Active metasurface architecture

Abstract

[0003] An antenna and methods of using the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, the antenna comprises a metasurface having radiating antenna elements and amplifiers configured to amplify signals for the radiating antenna elements, and for each of the radiating antenna elements, the metasurface includes one or both of a receive path having a low noise amplifier (LNA) configured to amplify a first set of receive signals, the receive path being at least one radiating antenna element configured to receive the first set of receive signals, and a transmit path having a power amplifier (PA) configured to amplify a second set of transmit signals, the second set of transmit signals being transmitted from one radiating antenna element.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a metasurface antenna including an integrated amplifier for amplifying received and transmitted signals. [Background technology]

[0002] Metasurface antennas have recently emerged as a new planar antenna technology that generates steered, directional beams from lightweight, low-cost, and flat physical platforms. Such metasurface antennas have been used in several applications in recent years, such as satellite communications. Metasurface antennas can comprise metamaterial antenna elements that can selectively couple energy from a feed wave to generate a beam that can be steered for communications. These antennas can achieve performance comparable to phased array antennas from inexpensive, easy-to-manufacture hardware platforms.

[0003] Some metasurface implementations are either reflective or transmissive, and some incorporate gain elements. Some metasurface implementations comprise metamaterial absorbers. However, some reflective or transmissive metasurfaces can simply receive an electric field from free space and, after the signal has been amplified, reflect or re-radiate the signal back into free space.

[0004] Existing diffractive metasurface antenna solutions are passive and do not incorporate gain into the metasurface. This presents several distinct drawbacks for passive antennas. Passive antennas require a central low-noise amplifier (LNA) and transmit amplifier at the antenna feed point (called the central radio frequency (RF) chain). A traditional central RF chain is a bulky component, increasing the antenna's height profile. Furthermore, the central power amplifier (PA) generates a significant amount of heat locally at the PA. This localized heating leads to a non-uniform temperature profile across the antenna. Additionally, the central PA and block upconverter (BUC) are relatively expensive, driving overall system cost. Another issue with the receive path is that the received signal must pass through a passive antenna and feed network before reaching the LNA. This signal path is lossy, and the resulting losses increase the antenna's noise temperature, reducing the gain-to-noise temperature ratio (G / T) of the received signal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 11,489,266 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 9,887,456 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 9,887,455 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent No. 10,892,553 [Patent Document 5] U.S. Patent No. 11,818,606 [Patent Document 6] U.S. Patent No. 11,063,661 Summary of the Invention

[0006] An antenna and a method for using the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, the antenna comprises a metasurface having radiating antenna elements and amplifiers configured to amplify signals for the radiating antenna elements, and for each of the radiating antenna elements, the metasurface includes one or both of a receive path having a low noise amplifier (LNA) configured to amplify a first set of receive signals, where at least one radiating antenna element is configured to receive the first set of receive signals, and a transmit path having a power amplifier (PA) configured to amplify a second set of transmit signals, where the second set of transmit signals are transmitted from one radiating antenna element.

[0007] The described embodiments and their advantages can best be understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are not intended to limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the described embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the described embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a portion of a planar antenna.

[0009] [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an example of a communication system including one or more antennas, according to some embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 3] 1A-1C are signal flow diagrams of two different architectures applied to receive and transmit paths, respectively, according to some embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture using microstrip lines.

[0012] [Figure 4B]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture using a coplanar waveguide transmission line.

[0013] [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 shows an additional exemplary architecture with a varactor and an LNA arranged on two opposite sides of a substrate with microstrip lines.

[0014] [Figure 5B] FIG. 1 shows an example architecture using microstrip lines but with the LNA and varactor located on the same side of the substrate.

[0015] [Figure 6A] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a process for receiving a signal using an antenna according to some embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 6B] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a process for transmitting a signal using an antenna, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide a more thorough explanation of the disclosed embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

[0018] Embodiments disclosed herein include antenna devices and methods for antennas with active metasurfaces. In some embodiments, configurations for active metasurfaces include amplifiers integrated into the metasurface to amplify received or transmitted signals. The techniques disclosed herein can be used to receive signals at a radiating antenna element, amplify them, and then pass them to a waveguide (e.g., a parallel-plate waveguide). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the amplitude and phase of the signal can be adjusted while it passes through the metasurface, creating a hologram for beamforming.

[0019] Furthermore, the use of the techniques disclosed in at least some embodiments can provide additional benefits. For example, a central power amplifier (PA) at the rear end of an antenna can be replaced with a distributed PA array at the front end and a much smaller PA at the rear of the antenna. This has the advantage of distributing the total power, potentially resulting in a lower height profile, more evenly distributing generated heat, and lower costs. Furthermore, replacing the central PA at the rear end of the antenna with a distributed low-noise amplifier (LNA) array at the front end of the antenna (with a second LNA at the rear) has the advantage that the received signal reaches the LNA before passing through all lossy paths on the antenna. Thus, the signal can be amplified in the LNA before passing through the metasurface, the waveguide, and any diplexers in the antenna.

[0020] The following disclosure describes examples of embodiments of antenna devices that can be part of the terminals described in this specification, followed by details of active metasurfaces in which amplifiers are integrated into the metasurface.

[0021] Antenna embodiment examples The techniques described herein can be used with a wide variety of planar satellite antennas. Some embodiments of such planar antennas are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the planar satellite antenna is part of a satellite terminal. The planar antenna includes an array of one or more antenna elements over an antenna aperture.

[0022] In some embodiments, the antenna aperture is a metasurface antenna aperture, such as the antenna apertures described below. In some embodiments, the antenna element comprises a radio frequency (RF) radiating antenna element. In some embodiments, the antenna element includes a tunable device for tuning the antenna element. Examples of such tunable devices include diodes and varactors, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 11,489,266, issued November 1, 2022, entitled "Metasurface Antennas Manufactured with Mass Transfer Technologies." In other embodiments, the antenna element comprises a liquid crystal (LC)-based antenna element, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,887,456, issued February 6, 2018, entitled "Dynamic Polarization and Coupling Control from a Steerable Cylindrically Fed Holographic Antenna," or other RF radiating antenna elements. It should be understood that other adjustable devices, such as, but not limited to, an adjustable capacitor, an adjustable capacitance die, a package die, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, or other adjustable capacitance device, can be placed in the antenna aperture or elsewhere in variations of the embodiments described herein.

[0023] While embodiments in the present disclosure may utilize some examples in communications, some embodiments may be implemented in a variety of receiving, transmitting, and / or sensing or other similar applications, including, but not limited to, devices for radar, lidar, sensors, and sensing devices such as those in autonomous vehicle applications and any other applications that may utilize the contributions of active metasurfaces according to various disclosed and undisclosed embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] In some embodiments, an antenna aperture having one or more arrays of antenna elements is comprised of multiple segments coupled together. In some embodiments, when coupled together, the combination of segments forms a group of antenna elements (e.g., a closed concentric ring of antenna elements relative to an antenna feed). For more information on antenna segments, see U.S. Patent No. 9,887,455, issued February 6, 2018, entitled "Aperture Segmentation of a Cylindrical Feed Antenna."

[0025] 1 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of a portion of a planar antenna. Referring to FIG. 1, the antenna 100 includes a radome 101, a core antenna 102, an antenna support plate 103, an antenna control unit (ACU) 104, a power supply unit 105, a terminal housing platform 106, a comm (communications) module 107, and an RF chain 108.

[0026] The radome 101 is the top of the enclosure that encloses the core antenna 102. In some embodiments, the radome 101 is weatherproof and constructed from a material that is transparent to radio waves to allow the beam generated by the core antenna 102 to extend outside the radome 101.

[0027] In some embodiments, the core antenna 102 comprises an antenna aperture having RF radiating antenna elements. These antenna elements function as radiators (or slot radiators). In some embodiments, the antenna elements comprise scattering metamaterial antenna elements. In some embodiments, the antenna elements comprise both receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) irises or slots interleaved and distributed across the surface of the antenna aperture of the core antenna 102. Such Rx and Tx irises can be grouped in two or more sets, each set for a separate, simultaneously controlled band. An example of an antenna element with such irises is described in U.S. Patent No. 10,892,553, issued January 12, 2021, entitled "Broad Tunable Bandwidth Radial Line Slot Antenna."

[0028] In some embodiments, the antenna elements include irises (iris openings), and the antenna aperture is used to generate a shaped main beam by using excitation from a cylindrical feed wave that radiates through the iris opening via an adjustable element (e.g., diode, varactor, patch, etc.). In some embodiments, the antenna elements can be excited to radiate a horizontally or vertically polarized field at a desired scan angle. In some embodiments, an adjustable element (diode, varactor, patch, etc.) is located over each iris slot. The amount of radiated power from each antenna element is controlled by applying a voltage to the adjustable element using a controller in the ACU 104. Traces in the core antenna 102 to each adjustable element are used to supply a voltage to the adjustable element. This voltage adjusts or detunes the capacitance and resonant frequency of the individual element to achieve beamforming. The required voltage depends on the adjustable element being used. Using this property, in some embodiments, the adjustable element (e.g., diode, varactor, LC, etc.) integrates an on / off switch for the transfer of energy from the feed wave to the antenna element. When switched on, the antenna element generates electromagnetic waves like an electrically small dipole antenna. Note that the teachings herein are not limited to having unit cells that operate in a binary manner with respect to energy transfer. For example, in some embodiments where a varactor is the tunable element, there are 32 tuning levels. As another example, in some embodiments where an LC is the tunable element, there are 16 tuning levels.

[0029] The antenna element (e.g., tunable resonator / slot) can be tuned by modulating the voltage between the tunable element and the slot. Adjusting the voltage changes the capacitance of the slot (e.g., tunable resonator / slot). Therefore, the reactance of the slot (e.g., tunable resonator / slot) can be changed by changing the capacitance. The resonant frequency of the slot can be calculated using the following equation: where f is the resonant frequency of the slot, and L and C are the inductance and capacitance of the slot, respectively. The resonant frequency of the slot affects the energy coupled from the feed wave propagating through the waveguide to the antenna element.

[0030] In particular, the generation of focused beams by metamaterial arrays of antenna elements can be explained by the phenomena of constructive and destructive interference, which are well known in the art. Individual electromagnetic waves add up (constructive interference) if they have the same phase when they cross in free space to create a beam, and they cancel each other out (destructive interference) if they have opposite phases when they cross in free space. If the slots in the core antenna 102 are positioned so that each successive slot is located at a different distance from the excitation point of the feed wave, the scattered waves from the antenna elements will have a different phase than the scattered waves from the previous slot. In some embodiments, if the slots are spaced a quarter of a wavelength apart, each slot will scatter waves with a quarter phase delay from the previous slot. In some embodiments, by controlling which antenna elements are turned on or off (i.e., by changing the pattern of which antenna elements are turned on and which are turned off) or which of multiple adjustment levels are used, different constructive and destructive interference patterns can be generated and the antenna can change the direction of the antenna beam.

[0031] In some embodiments, the core antenna 102 includes a coaxial feed used to provide a cylindrical wave feed via an input feed, such as described in U.S. Patent No. 9,887,456, issued February 6, 2018, entitled "Dynamic Polarization and Coupling Control from a Steerable Cylindrically Fed Holographic Antenna," or U.S. Patent No. 11,489,266, issued November 1, 2022, entitled "Metasurface Antennas Manufactured with Mass Transfer Technologies." In some embodiments, the cylindrical feed feeds the core antenna 102 from a central point with excitation propagating cylindrically outward from the feed point. In other words, the cylindrical feed wave is an outward-traveling concentric feed wave. Nevertheless, the shape of the cylindrical feed antenna around the cylindrical feed can be circular, square, or any shape. In some other embodiments, a cylindrical feed antenna aperture generates an inward-traveling feed wave. In such cases, a feed wave originating from a circular structure is most natural.

[0032] In some embodiments, the core antenna includes multiple layers. These layers include one or more substrate layers that form the RF radiating antenna element. In some embodiments, these layers may also include impedance matching layers (e.g., wide angle impedance matching (WAIM) layers, etc.), one or more spacer layers, and / or dielectric layers. Such layers are well known in the art.

[0033] The antenna support plate 103 is coupled to the core antenna 102 and provides support for the core antenna 102. In some embodiments, the antenna support plate 103 includes one or more waveguides and one or more antenna feeds to provide the core antenna 102 with one or more feed waves that are used by the antenna elements of the core antenna 102 to generate one or more beams.

[0034] ACU 104 is coupled to antenna support plate 103 and provides controls for antenna 100. In some embodiments, these controls include a controller for drive electronics for antenna 100 and a matrix drive circuit for controlling switching arrays scattered throughout the array of RF radiating antenna elements. In some embodiments, the matrix drive circuit uses unique addresses to apply voltages to the adjustable elements of the antenna elements to drive each antenna element independently from the other antenna elements. In some embodiments, the drive electronics of ACU 104 include a commercial off-the-shelf LCD controller used in commercial television equipment to adjust the voltage for each antenna element.

[0035] More specifically, in some embodiments, the ACU 104 provides an array of voltage signals to the adjustable devices of the antenna elements to generate a modulation, or control, pattern. The control pattern causes the elements to tune to various states. In some embodiments, the ACU 104 uses the control pattern to control which antenna elements are turned on or off (or at which adjustment levels) and at which phase and amplitude levels of the operating frequency. Elements are selectively detuned for frequency operation by the application of voltages. In some embodiments, multi-state control is used, in which different elements are turned on and off to different levels, more closely approximating a sinusoidal control pattern rather than a square wave (i.e., a sinusoidal gray-shade modulation pattern).

[0036] In some embodiments, ACU 104 also includes one or more processors that execute software to perform some of the control operations. ACU 104 can control one or more sensors (e.g., a GPS receiver, a 3-axis compass, a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyro, a 3-axis magnetometer, etc.) to provide position and orientation information to the processor. Position and orientation information can be provided to the processor by other systems in the ground station and / or by other systems that may not be part of the antenna system.

[0037] Antenna 100 also includes a com (communications) module 107 and an RF chain 108. Com module 107 includes one or more modems to enable capable antenna 100 to communicate with various satellite and / or cellular systems, as well as a router that selects the appropriate network route based on metrics (e.g., Quality of Service (QoS) metrics, e.g., signal strength, latency, etc.). RF chain 108 converts analog RF signals to digital form. In some embodiments, RF chain 108 includes electronic components that may include amplifiers, filters, mixers, attenuators, and detectors.

[0038] The antenna 100 also includes a power supply unit 105 to provide power to various subsystems or portions of the antenna 100 .

[0039] Antenna 100 also includes a terminal housing platform 106 that forms a housing for the bottom of antenna 100. In some embodiments, terminal housing platform 106 includes multiple sections that are coupled to other portions of antenna 100, including radome 101, and encases core antenna 102.

[0040] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a communication system including one or more antennas as described herein. Referring to Figure 2, vehicle 200 includes antenna 201. In some embodiments, antenna 201 comprises antenna 100 of Figure 1. In some embodiments, vehicle 200 may include any one of several vehicles, such as, but not limited to, an automobile (e.g., a car, truck, bus, etc.), a marine vehicle (e.g., a boat, watercraft, etc.), or an aircraft (e.g., a passenger aircraft, military aircraft, light aircraft, etc.).

[0041] Antenna 201 can be used to communicate while vehicle 200 is either stationary or moving. Antenna 201 can be used to communicate with fixed locations as well as remote construction sites (mining, oil and gas) and / or remote renewable energy sites (solar, wind, etc.), for example.

[0042] In some embodiments, antenna 201 can be in communication with one or more communication infrastructures (e.g., satellite, cellular, network (e.g., the Internet), etc.). For example, in some embodiments, antenna 201 can be in communication with satellites 220 (e.g., GEO satellites) and 221 (e.g., LEO satellites), a cellular network 230 (e.g., LTE, etc.), and a network infrastructure (e.g., edge routers, the Internet, etc.). For example, in some embodiments, antenna 201 includes one or more satellite modems (e.g., GEO modems, LEO modems, etc.) that enable communication with various satellites, such as satellite 220 (e.g., GEO satellites) and satellite 221 (e.g., LEO satellites), and one or more cellular modems for communicating with cellular network 230. For another example of an antenna in communication with one or more communication infrastructures, see U.S. Patent No. 11,818,606, issued November 14, 2023, and entitled "Multiple Aspects of Communication in a Diverse Communication Network."

[0043] In some embodiments, antenna 201 performs dynamic beam steering to facilitate communication with various satellites. In such cases, antenna 201 can dynamically change the direction of the beams it generates to facilitate communication with various satellites. In some embodiments, antenna 201 includes multi-beam beam steering, which allows antenna 201 to simultaneously generate two or more beams, thereby enabling antenna 201 to simultaneously communicate with more than one satellite. Such functionality is often used when switching between satellites (e.g., performing a handover). For example, in some embodiments, antenna 201 generates and uses a first beam to communicate with satellite 220 and simultaneously generates a second beam to establish communication with satellite 221. In some embodiments, after establishing communication with satellite 221, antenna 201 ceases generating the first beam to terminate communication with satellite 220 and simultaneously switches to communication with satellite 221 using the second beam. For more information about multi-beam communication, see U.S. Patent No. 11,063,661, issued July 13, 2021, entitled "Beam Splitting Hand Off Systems Architecture."

[0044] In some embodiments, antenna 201 uses path diversity to allow a communication session occurring over one communication path (e.g., satellite, cellular, etc.) to continue during and after a handover to another communication path (e.g., another satellite, another cellular system, etc.). For example, if antenna 201 is in communication with satellite 220 and switches to satellite 221 by dynamically changing its beam direction, the session with satellite 220 will be combined with the session occurring with satellite 221.

[0045] Thus, the antennas described herein can be part of a satellite terminal, enabling ubiquitous communications and multiple different communication connections. In some embodiments, the antenna 201 comprises a metasurface RF antenna having multiple RF-radiating antenna elements tuned to a desired frequency using RF antenna element drive circuitry. The drive circuitry can include drive transistors (e.g., thin film transistors (TFTs) (e.g., CMOS, NMOS, etc.), low-temperature or high-temperature polysilicon transistors, memristors, etc.), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) circuits, or other circuitry for driving voltages to the RF-radiating antenna elements. In some embodiments, the drive circuitry comprises an active matrix drive. In some embodiments, the frequency of each antenna element is controlled by an applied voltage. In some embodiments, this applied voltage is also stored in each antenna element (pixel circuit) until the next voltage write cycle.

[0046] Active metasurface architecture Embodiments of the present disclosure may include configurations for active metasurfaces, in which amplifiers are incorporated into the metasurface to amplify received and / or transmitted signals. Also disclosed herein are architectures for active holographic beamforming metasurface antennas designed to couple received signals into a waveguide after amplification and phase adjustment.

[0047] Figure 3 shows some embodiments of two antenna architectures that integrate amplifiers into the metasurface. In the first architecture, on the receive path, the LNA is placed after the holographic modulation is created and the necessary phase and amplitude adjustments are applied for beamforming purposes, while on the transmit path, the signal is amplified before reaching the modulating holographic layer that creates the holographic modulation.

[0048] 3, the receive path of the first architecture includes an adjustable radiating element 301 that, in operation, receives a radio transmission signal and performs modulation (e.g., holographic modulation) and phase and amplitude adjustment on the received signal. A transmission line 302 passes the received signal from the adjustable radiating element 301 to an LNA 303, which amplifies the received signal. A transmission line 304 passes the amplified received signal to a static (non-adjustable) coupling element 305, which forwards the amplified received signal to a waveguide 306.

[0049] In operation, in the transmit path of the first architecture according to some embodiments, the waveguide 311 carries the transmit signal to the static (non-adjustable) coupling element 312, which couples the transmit signal to the transmission line 313. The transmission line 313 passes the signal to the PA 314, which amplifies the transmit signal. The transmission line 315 passes the amplified transmit signal from the PA 314 to the adjustable radiating element 316, which performs modulation (e.g., holographic modulation) and phase and amplitude adjustment of the transmit signal for beamforming and radiates the transmit signal.

[0050] For the second architecture, according to some embodiments, in operation, in the receive path, the holographic modulation is created after the received signal is received and amplified. One advantage of this architecture is that signal loss before the signal is amplified is low or reduced. As a result, the expected G / T is higher than in the first architecture. In the second architecture, in the transmit path, the signal is amplified after passing through the modulated holographic layer.

[0051] The receive path of the second architecture includes a static (non-adjustable) radiating element 321 that receives a wirelessly transmitted signal. A transmission line 322 transfers the receive signal from the radiating element 321 to an LNA 323, which amplifies the receive signal. A transmission line 324 transfers the amplified receive signal to an adjustable coupling element 325, which performs modulation (e.g., hologram modulation) and phase and amplitude adjustment on the amplified receive signal for beamforming, and transfers the modulated amplified receive signal to a waveguide 326.

[0052] In the transmit path of the second architecture, waveguide 331 carries the transmit signal to non-tunable coupling element 332, which performs modulation (e.g., holographic modulation) and phase and amplitude adjustment on the transmit signal, and then couples the transmit signal to transmission line 333. Transmission line 333 passes the signal to PA 334, which amplifies the transmit signal. Transmission line 335 passes the amplified transmit signal from PA 334 to adjustable radiating element 336, which radiates the amplified transmit signal.

[0053] 4A and 4B show two examples of the first architecture of FIG. 3, in which the received signal passes through a modulation hologram before being amplified. Referring to FIG. 4A, the metasurface includes a single substrate 401 (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)) with double-sided metallization and patterning. On the top layer, a tunable radiating element, such as a microstrip patch antenna 402, is mounted with a varactor diode 403 that changes the resonant frequency of the patch. This change in resonant frequency allows the phase and amplitude of the input signal to be individually adjusted for each radiating antenna element / unit cell. In some embodiments, the patch antenna 402 can be replaced with a dipole, slot, or other type of radiating element, and the varactor diode 403 can be replaced with another type of tunable element (e.g., a liquid crystal, another type of diode, etc.). After a signal is received by patch antenna 402, the received signal couples to microstrip line 404 (or some alternative transmission line, such as a coplanar waveguide transmission line (CPW)), which passes the received signal to LNA 410, which amplifies the received signal. After signal amplification, another microstrip line 405 directs the amplified received signal to coupling slot 406 in metal layer 420 attached to signal substrate 401. Metal layer 420 serves as a ground plane for the top-layer circuitry but also has coupling slots, forming a ceiling for the waveguides below it. Coupling slot 406 couples the received signal to waveguide 407 adjacent, nearby, contiguous, or possibly below the metasurface. In this arrangement, coupling slot 406 does not provide further phase and amplitude adjustment to the received signal for beamforming.

[0054] For transmission, in some embodiments, the architecture operates in reverse, with the transmit signal coupling from waveguide 407 through coupling slot 406 to microstrip line 405, which then passes the transmit signal to PA 430, which amplifies the transmit signal. Note that although shown together in FIG. 4A for convenience, LNA 410 and PA 430 are separate electronic components. Microstrip line 404 passes the amplified transmit signal to patch 402, which performs modulation / phase / amplitude adjustment for beamforming and radiation of the transmit signal.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 4B, in some embodiments, a similar concept is implemented using transmission lines other than microstrip lines. Here, the metasurface includes two substrates 451 and 452 with double-sided metallization and patterning, including metal layers 1-3. The top layer of substrate 451, referred to as metal layer 1, contains a tunable radiating element, such as tunable radiating slot antenna 412. The tunable slot antenna 412 implements a hologram in its unit cell and includes a varactor diode 413 that changes the resonant frequency of the radiating element. This change in resonant frequency allows the phase and amplitude of the input signal to be adjusted for beamforming at every radiating antenna element / unit cell individually. In some other embodiments, the tunable radiating slot 412 is replaced with a dipole, patch, or other type of radiating element, and the varactor diode 413 is replaced with another type of tunable element (e.g., a liquid crystal, another type of diode, etc.). After a signal is received by tunable slot antenna 412 and any modulation and phase and amplitude adjustments for beamforming are performed, the received signal is passed to LNA 440 using a coplanar waveguide transmission line (CPW) 414 (or some alternative transmission line), which amplifies the received signal. After signal amplification, another CPW 415 passes the amplified received signal to static coupling slot 416 using a via structure. Static (untuned) coupling slot 416 is within CPW 460, which is attached to substrate 452 using hot vias (signal-carrying through vias) 461 between electrically coupling metal layer 1 and metal layer 2 on either side of substrate 451 and hot vias 462 between electrically coupling metal layer 2 and metal layer 3 on either side of substrate 452. Metallization on metal layer 2 acts as a shielding ground plane, decoupling top and bottom substrates 451 and 452 from each other, preventing the input and output of LNA 440 from coupling to each other. The coupling slot 416 couples the received signal to a waveguide 417 adjacent to, close to, contiguous with, or possibly below the metasurface. In this arrangement, the coupling slot 416 does not provide further phase and amplitude adjustment to the received signal.

[0056] For transmission, the architecture works in reverse, with the transmit signal coupling from waveguide 417 through coupling slot 416 and hot vias 462 and 461 to CPW 415. The transmit signal is forwarded from CPW 415 to PA 450, which amplifies the transmit signal. Note that although shown together in FIG. 4B for convenience, LNA 440 and PA 450 are separate electronic components. CPW 414 passes the amplified transmit signal to adjustable slot antenna 412 for modulation / phase / amplitude adjustment for beamforming, which then radiates the transmit signal.

[0057] 5A and 5B show two examples of integrating the second architecture shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 5A, an input signal is received by a static patch antenna 502 attached to a substrate 501. At this point, the received signal is not modulated (e.g., amplitude and / or phase shifted for beamforming). In some other embodiments, other types of antenna elements may be used. The received signal is then conveyed via a microstrip line 504 (or other transmission line, such as CPW) attached to the substrate 501 to an LNA 520, where the received signal is amplified. A microstrip line 505 (or other transmission line) attached to the substrate 501 conveys the amplified signal from the LNA 520, and the energy is coupled to a waveguide 507 via a tunable (coupling) element / slot 506 in the metal layer 520. At this stage, modulation (e.g., hologram modulation) is applied to the amplified received signal while it is coupled into waveguide 507, and its phase and / or amplitude are adjusted for beamforming by using tuning elements coupled across and loading adjustable slots 506. In some embodiments, the tuning elements are varactors 503, and this architecture assumes that the varactors in all unit cells are individually controllable. Thus, varactor 503 can adjust impedance to induce a phase shift in the signal to implement modulation. In contrast to the elements of Architecture 1 of FIG. 3, the hologram is fabricated in the coupling layer rather than the radiating element.

[0058] During transmission, the wave propagates through waveguide 507 into adjustable slot 506 and is phase shifted as it is coupled through adjustable slot 506 to microstrip 505. Varactor 503 is tuned to impart modulation to the transmit signal (e.g., creating a hologram in the coupling layer rather than in the radiating element). The modulated signal is coupled to microstrip 505 and travels through PA 530, where it is amplified and passed via microstrip line 504 to patch antenna 502, which radiates the transmit signal. Note that although shown together in FIG. 5A for convenience, LNA 520 and PA 530 are separate electronic components.

[0059] FIG. 5B illustrates an architecture derived from the concept of FIG. 5A in some embodiments. Referring to FIG. 5B, the difference in this architecture is that the varactor is adjacent, contiguous, adjacent, and / or moved up to the top or microstrip layer, while still loading and tuning the coupling slot on the bottom surface of the substrate. This architecture has the advantage that all the discrete components (e.g., varactor, LNA, PA, etc.) are located on the same side of the substrate, simplifying the manufacturing process of this architecture. Additionally, the drive circuitry needed to tune the varactor and drive the LNA is on the same side as the discrete components. This arrangement further reduces manufacturing complexity. As shown in FIG. 5B, through vias can also be used to couple or connect the varactor to the tunable slot on the bottom surface of the substrate and load the varactor.

[0060] 5B, in some embodiments, in operation, a static patch antenna 512 mounted on a substrate 511 receives an incoming signal. At this point, the incoming signal is not modulated (e.g., amplitude and / or phase shifted for beamforming). In other embodiments, other types of antenna elements may be used. The incoming signal is then conveyed via a microstrip line 514 (or other transmission line, such as CPW) mounted on the substrate 511 to an LNA 540, which amplifies the incoming signal. The microstrip line 514 (or other transmission line) mounted on the substrate 511 conveys the amplified signal from the LNA 540, and the energy couples to a waveguide 517 via a tunable coupling element / slot 516 in a metal layer 531. At this stage, modulation is applied to the amplified received signal while it is coupled from microstrip line 514 through adjustable slot 516 to waveguide 517, and its phase and / or amplitude are adjusted for beamforming through the use of tuning elements coupled across the microstrip line onto substrate 511 and loading adjustable slot 516. In some embodiments, the tuning elements are varactors 513, and this architecture assumes that the varactors in all unit cells are individually controllable. Thus, varactor 513 can adjust impedance to induce a phase shift in the signal to implement modulation. Contrary to the example of Architecture 1 in FIG. 3, the hologram is created in the coupling layer, not in the radiating element.

[0061] During transmission, the wave propagates through waveguide 517 to adjustable slot 516 and is phase shifted as it is coupled through adjustable slot 516 to microstrip 514. Varactor 513 is tuned to impart modulation to the transmit signal (e.g., creating a hologram in the coupling layer rather than in the radiating element). The modulated signal is coupled to microstrip 514 and travels through PA 550, where the transmit signal is amplified and passed via microstrip line 514 to patch antenna 512, which radiates the transmit signal. Note that although shown together in FIG. 5B for convenience, LNA 540 and PA 550 are separate electronic components.

[0062] FIG. 6A is a flow diagram of a process for receiving a signal using an antenna having a waveguide and a metasurface with an integrated amplifier coupled to the waveguide for amplifying the signal received by the radiating antenna element, in some embodiments.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 6A, the process begins with receiving a first set of received signals by one radiating antenna element (601). In some embodiments, the one radiating antenna element is part of a metasurface. The process proceeds with amplifying the first set of received signals (602) before completely traversing the metasurface and coupling them into a waveguide. In some embodiments, the first set of signals are amplified using a receive path that includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA). Next, the process couples the amplified received signals into the waveguide via a coupling slot (603).

[0064] In some embodiments, amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals with an LNA after modulation, and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of signals with a PA before modulation. In some embodiments, amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals with an LNA before modulation, and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of received signals with a PA after modulation.

[0065] FIG. 6B is a flow diagram of a process, in some embodiments, for transmitting a signal using an antenna having a waveguide and a metasurface with an integrated amplifier coupled to the waveguide to amplify the signal transmitted by the radiating antenna element.

[0066] 6B, the process begins by coupling (604) a second set of transmit signals from the waveguide to the metasurface via the coupling slot and amplifying (605) the second set of transmit signals after passing through at least a portion of the metasurface. In some embodiments, the second set of signals is amplified using a transmit path that includes a power amplifier (PA). After amplifying the second set of signals, the process includes transmitting (606) the second set of signals through one radiating antenna element.

[0067] In some embodiments, amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals using an LNA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and amplifying the second set of transmitted signals includes amplifying the second set of signals using a PA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0068] In some embodiments, amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals with an LNA after modulation, and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of signals with a PA before modulation. In some embodiments, amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals with an LNA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and amplifying the second set of transmit signals includes amplifying the second set of transmit signals with a PA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0069] In some embodiments, amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals using an LNA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and amplifying the second set of transmitted signals includes amplifying the second set of signals using a PA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0070] The embodiments disclosed herein include one or more improvements. For example, on the receive side, in passive metasurface antennas, low-noise amplification is provided downstream of the antenna element, feed, and diplexer losses, which is not ideal. A better location for low-noise amplification is as close as possible to the receive antenna element. With the active metasurface concept disclosed herein, placing the low-noise amplifier at the antenna element can improve G / T by more than 1 dB. Regarding transmit side improvements, passive metasurface antennas require a larger / more expensive amplifier on the backside of the antenna (compared to when the amplifier is integrated on the metasurface, as described herein) to provide the required effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) while overcoming the feed loss and other radiation losses in the antenna. With the active metasurface antenna disclosed herein, a much smaller / cheaper amplifier can be used on the backside of the antenna than would be required if the amplifier were not integrated on the metasurface, as described herein. The amplifier in the metasurface amplifies the signal from the input amplifier and provides the output power to achieve the required EIRP. Furthermore, by incorporating the amplification stage into the metasurface, an improvement in power-added efficiency (PAE) can be obtained. Furthermore, by incorporating amplification into the metasurface with LNA and PA, the active metasurface antenna incorporates gain into the Rx and Tx antenna elements.

[0071] In the embodiments disclosed herein, advantages include one or more of improved gain-to-noise temperature ratio of the receive antenna, reduced BOM cost, reduced power consumption, reduced manufacturing complexity of the active metasurface, and a more highly integrated terminal design with a smaller height profile.

[0072] Several exemplary embodiments are described herein.

[0073] Example 1 is an antenna comprising a metasurface having radiating antenna elements and amplifiers configured to amplify signals for the radiating antenna elements, wherein for each of the radiating antenna elements, the metasurface includes one or both of a receive path having a low noise amplifier (LNA) configured to amplify a first set of receive signals, where at least one radiating antenna element is configured to receive the first set of receive signals, and a transmit path having a power amplifier (PA) configured to amplify a second set of transmit signals, where the second set of transmit signals is transmitted from one radiating antenna element.

[0074] Example 2 is the antenna of Example 1, which can optionally include: the receive path configured to amplify a first set of received signals using an LNA after the metasurface has been modulated to form a beam; and the transmit path configured to amplify a second set of signals using a PA before modulation.

[0075] Example 3 is the antenna of Example 2, which may optionally include that at least one of the radiating antenna elements comprises: a substrate having a top and a bottom; a frequency tunable radiating element coupled to the substrate to transmit and receive signals; a first transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and electrically coupled to the tunable radiating element to transfer signals between the tunable radiating element; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line to amplify a received signal received by the tunable radiating element; a second transmission line coupled to the top of the substrate to receive the amplified received signal from the LNA; and a coupling slot in the ground plane coupled to the bottom of the substrate to couple the amplified received signal from the second transmission line.

[0076] Example 4 is the antenna of Example 3, which can optionally include including a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmission signal transmitted by the adjustable radiating element, wherein the adjustable radiating element includes an adjustable element for adjusting the radiating element.

[0077] Example 5 is the antenna of example 4, which can optionally include the tunable element comprising a varactor or a tunable capacitor.

[0078] Example 6 is the antenna of Example 3, which can selectively include that at least one of the first and second transmission lines is a microstrip line.

[0079] Example 7 is the antenna of Example 2, which can optionally include that at least one of the radiating antenna elements comprises: a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) having circuit layers electrically coupled to transfer signals using one or more hot vias; an adjustable slot antenna coupled to an upper part of the top layer of the PCB for receiving and transmitting signals; a first transmission line attached to the upper part of the top layer of the PCB and electrically coupled to the adjustable slot antenna for transferring signals between the adjustable radiating element; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line for amplifying a received signal received by the adjustable slot antenna; a second transmission line attached to the upper part of the top layer of the PCB for receiving the amplified received signal from the LNA; and a coupling slot in a coplanar waveguide transmission line coupled to a bottom layer of the PCB for coupling the amplified received signal from the second transmission line.

[0080] Example 8 is the antenna of Example 7, which can optionally include including a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmission signal transmitted by the adjustable slot antenna, the adjustable slot antenna including an adjustable element for adjusting the adjustable slot antenna.

[0081] Example 9 is the antenna of example 8, optionally including the tunable element comprising a varactor.

[0082] Example 10 is the antenna of Example 7, which can optionally include at least one of the first and second transmission lines being a coplanar waveguide transmission line.

[0083] Example 11 is the antenna of example 1, which can optionally include: the receive path being configured to amplify the first set of receive signals using an LNA after applying hologram modulation and phase and amplitude adjustment for beamforming.

[0084] Example 12 is the antenna of example 1, which can optionally include that the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of signals using a PA before applying phase and amplitude adjustment for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0085] Example 13 is the antenna of example 1, which can optionally include: the receive path is configured to amplify a first set of received signals using an LNA before modulation; and the transmit path is configured to amplify a second set of received signals using a PA after modulation.

[0086] Example 14 is the antenna of Example 13, which can optionally include that at least one of the radiating antenna elements comprises: a substrate having a top and a bottom; a frequency tunable radiating element coupled to the substrate for receiving or transmitting a signal; a first transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and electrically coupled to the tunable radiating element for transferring signals between the tunable radiating element; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line for amplifying a received signal received by the tunable radiating element; a second transmission line coupled to the top of the substrate for receiving the amplified received signal from the LNA; and an adjustable slot in the ground plane coupled to the bottom of the substrate for coupling the amplified received signal from the second transmission line.

[0087] Example 15 is the antenna of Example 14, which can optionally include a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmission signal transmitted by the adjustable radiating element, and the adjustable slot carrying an adjustable element for adjusting a resonant frequency of the slot.

[0088] Example 16 is the antenna of example 15, which can optionally include the tunable element comprising a varactor or a tunable capacitor.

[0089] Example 17 is the antenna of Example 14, which can optionally include at least one of the first and second transmission lines being a microstrip line.

[0090] Example 18 is the antenna of Example 13, which may optionally include: at least one of the radiating antenna elements comprises: a substrate having a top and a bottom; a first radiating element coupled to the substrate for receiving and transmitting signals; a first transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and electrically coupled to the first radiating element for transferring signals to and from the patch antenna; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line for amplifying a received signal received by the first radiating element; a second transmission line attached to the top of the substrate for receiving the amplified received signal from the LNA; and an adjustable slot in the ground plane attached to the bottom of the substrate for coupling the amplified received signal from the second transmission line to the waveguide, the adjustable slot coupled to the second transmission line and carrying an adjustable element for adjusting the adjustable slot.

[0091] Example 19 is the antenna of Example 18, which can optionally include a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmission signal transmitted by the radiating element.

[0092] Example 20 is the antenna of example 18, which can optionally include the tunable element comprising a varactor.

[0093] Example 21 is the antenna of Example 18, which can optionally include at least one of the first and second transmission lines being a microstrip line.

[0094] Example 22 is the antenna of Example 1, which can optionally include that the receive path is configured to amplify a first set of receive signals using an LNA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and the transmit path is configured to amplify a second set of receive signals using a PA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0095] Example 23 is a method for transmitting and receiving signals using an antenna having a waveguide and a metasurface coupled to the waveguide, the antenna having an amplifier for amplifying signals received by a radiating antenna element and signals transmitted by the radiating antenna element, comprising: receiving a first set of received signals by one radiating antenna element; amplifying a first set of received signals using a receive path having a low noise amplifier (LNA) before coupling to the waveguide; coupling the amplified received signal to the waveguide via a coupling slot; The method includes:

[0096] Example 24 includes coupling a second set of transmit signals from the waveguide to the metasurface via the coupling slot; and A method according to Example 23, which can optionally include amplifying a second set of transmit signals after passing through at least a portion of the metasurface using a transmit path having a power amplifier (PA), and transmitting the second set of signals by one radiating antenna element.

[0097] Example 25 is the method of example 24, which can optionally include that amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals after modulation using an LNA, and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of signals before modulation using a PA.

[0098] Example 26 is the method of Example 24, which may optionally include: amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals using an LNA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming; and amplifying the second set of transmitted signals includes amplifying the second set of transmitted signals using a PA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0099] Example 27 is the method of Example 24, which can optionally include: amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals before modulation using an LNA; and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of received signals after modulation using a PA.

[0100] Example 28 is the method of Example 24, which may optionally include: amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals using an LNA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming; and amplifying the second set of transmitted signals includes amplifying the second set of received signals using a PA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

[0101] All of the methods and tasks described herein can be performed and fully automated by a computer system. A computer system may, in some cases, include multiple separate computers or computing devices (e.g., physical servers, workstations, storage arrays, cloud computing resources, etc.) that communicate and interoperate over a network to perform the described functions. Each such computing device typically includes a processor (or multiple processors) that executes program instructions or modules stored in memory or other non-transitory computer-readable storage media or devices (e.g., solid-state storage devices, disk drives, etc.). Various functions disclosed herein may be embodied in such program instructions or may be implemented in application-specific circuitry (e.g., ASICs or FPGAs) in the computer system. When a computer system includes multiple computing devices, these devices may, but need not, be co-located. Results of the disclosed methods and tasks can be persistently stored by converting physical storage devices, such as solid-state memory chips or magnetic disks, to different states. In some embodiments, the computer system may be a cloud-based computing system in which processing resources are shared by multiple different business entities or other users.

[0102] Depending on the embodiment, certain operations, events, or functions of any of the processes or algorithms described herein may be performed in a different sequence, added, combined, or eliminated altogether (e.g., not all of the described operations or events are required to implement an algorithm). Furthermore, in particular embodiments, operations or events may be performed simultaneously, e.g., not sequentially, but via multi-threaded processing, interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or other parallel architectures.

[0103] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, routines, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., ASIC or FPGA devices), computer software running on computer hardware, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the various illustrative logical blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed by machines such as processor devices, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processor device can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor device can be a controller, microcontroller, or state machine, similar combinations, etc. The processor device can include electronic circuitry configured to process computer-executable instructions. In another embodiment, the processor device includes an FPGA or other programmable device that performs logical operations without processing computer-executable instructions. A processor device may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. While described primarily in terms of digital technology herein, a processor device may also include primarily analog components. For example, some or all of the techniques depicted herein may be implemented in analog circuitry or mixed analog and digital circuitry. A computing environment may include any type of computing system, including, but not limited to, a microprocessor, mainframe computer, digital signal processor, portable computing device, device controller, or computing engine within an appliance, by way of example.

[0104] Elements of the methods, processes, routines, or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor device, or in a combination of both. The software modules may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor device such that the processor device can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor device. The processor device and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor device and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0105] In particular, conditional expressions used herein, such as "can," "could," "might," "may," and "e.g.," are generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, or steps, and that other embodiments do not, unless expressly indicated otherwise or understood otherwise within the context of use. Thus, such conditional expressions generally do not imply that features, elements, or steps are more or less required for one or more embodiments, or that they necessarily include logic that determines, with or without other input or instruction, whether or not these features, elements, or steps are included in or should be performed in any particular embodiment. Terms such as "comprising," "including," and "having" are synonymous and used in an inclusive, open-ended manner and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, etc. Also, when the word "or" is used, for example, to connect lists of elements, "or" is used in an inclusive (not exclusive) sense to mean one, some, or all of the elements in the list.

[0106] Unless expressly indicated otherwise, disjunctive language such as "at least one of X, Y, or Z" is generally understood in the context in which it is commonly used to indicate that an item, term, etc. can be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is generally not intended, and should not be intended, to indicate that a particular embodiment requires that at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z are each present.

[0107] The foregoing detailed description illustrates, describes, and points out novel features added to various embodiments, and it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the illustrated devices or algorithms may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As will be recognized, some features can be used or practiced separately from other features, and therefore specific embodiments described herein can be practiced in forms that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein. The scope of the specific embodiments disclosed herein is indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing specification. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. 1. A metasurface having radiating antenna elements and an amplifier configured to amplify a signal for the radiating antenna elements, wherein for each of the radiating antenna elements: a receive path having a low noise amplifier (LNA) configured to amplify a first set of receive signals, the receive path being configured with at least one radiating antenna element to receive the first set of receive signals; a transmit path having a power amplifier (PA) configured to amplify a second set of transmit signals, the second set of transmit signals being transmitted from the one radiating antenna element; and and a metasurface including one or both of: antenna.

2. 10. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the receive path is configured to amplify a first set of the received signals with the LNA after the metasurface has been modulated to form a beam, and the transmit path is configured to amplify a second set of the signals with the PA before modulation.

3. At least one of the radiating antenna elements a substrate having a top and a bottom; a frequency tunable radiating element coupled to the substrate for transmitting and receiving signals; a first transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and electrically coupled to the tunable radiating element for transferring the signal to and from the tunable radiating element; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line to amplify a received signal received by the tunable radiating element; a second transmission line coupled to the top portion of the substrate to receive the amplified receive signal from the LNA; a coupling slot in a ground plane coupled to the bottom of the substrate for coupling the amplified receive signal from the second transmission line; The antenna of claim 2 , comprising:

4. a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmit signal transmitted by the tunable radiating element, The antenna of claim 3 , wherein the tunable radiating element further comprises a PA carrying a tunable element for tuning the radiating element.

5. The antenna of claim 4 , wherein the tunable element comprises a varactor or a tunable capacitor.

6. The antenna of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first and second transmission lines is a microstrip line.

7. At least one of the radiating antenna elements a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) in which the circuit layers are electrically coupled to transfer signals using one or more hot vias; an adjustable slot antenna coupled to the top of the top layer of the PCB for receiving and transmitting signals; a first transmission line attached to the top of the top layer of the PCB and electrically coupled to the tunable slot antenna to transfer the signals to and from the tunable radiating element; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line to amplify a received signal received by the tunable slot antenna; a second transmission line attached to the top of the top layer of the PCB to receive the amplified receive signal from the LNA; a coplanar waveguide transmission line coupling slot coupled to a bottom layer of the PCB for coupling the amplified receive signal from the second transmission line; The antenna of claim 2 , comprising:

8. a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmit signal transmitted by the tunable slot antenna, 8. The antenna of claim 7, wherein the tunable slot antenna further comprises a PA further carrying a tunable element for tuning the tunable slot antenna.

9. The antenna of claim 8 , wherein the tunable element comprises a varactor.

10. 8. The antenna of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first and second transmission lines is a coplanar waveguide transmission line.

11. 2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the receive path is configured to amplify the first set of receive signals using the LNA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

12. 10. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of signals using the PA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

13. 10. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the receive path is configured to amplify a first set of the received signals with the LNA before modulation, and the transmit path is configured to amplify a second set of the received signals with the PA after modulation.

14. At least one of the radiating antenna elements a substrate having a top and a bottom; a frequency-tunable radiating element coupled to the substrate for receiving or transmitting a signal; a first transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and electrically coupled to the tunable radiating element for transferring the signal to and from the tunable radiating element; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line to amplify a received signal received by the tunable radiating element; a second transmission line coupled to the top portion of the substrate to receive the amplified receive signal from the LNA; an adjustable slot in a ground plane coupled to the bottom of the substrate for coupling the amplified receive signal from the second transmission line; 14. The antenna of claim 13, comprising:

15. a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmit signal transmitted by the tunable radiating element, 15. The antenna of claim 14, wherein the tunable slot carries a tunable element for adjusting the resonant frequency of the slot.

16. 16. The antenna of claim 15, wherein the tunable element comprises a varactor or a tunable capacitor.

17. 15. The antenna of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first and second transmission lines is a microstrip line.

18. At least one of the radiating antenna elements a substrate having a top and a bottom; a first radiating element coupled to the substrate for receiving and transmitting signals; a first transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and electrically coupled to the first radiating element for transferring the signal to and from the patch antenna; an LNA coupled to the first transmission line to amplify a received signal received by the first radiating element; a second transmission line attached to the top of the substrate and receiving the amplified receive signal from the LNA; an adjustable slot in a ground plane attached to the bottom of the substrate for coupling the amplified receive signal from the second transmission line to the waveguide, the adjustable slot being coupled to the second transmission line and carrying an adjustable element for adjusting the adjustable slot; 14. The antenna of claim 13, comprising:

19. 20. The antenna of claim 18, further comprising a PA coupled to the first and second transmission lines to amplify a transmit signal transmitted by the radiating element.

20. 20. The antenna of claim 18, wherein the tunable element comprises a varactor.

21. 20. The antenna of claim 18, wherein at least one of the first and second transmission lines is a microstrip line.

22. 2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the receive path is configured to amplify a first set of the receive signals using the LNA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and the transmit path is configured to amplify a second set of the signals using the PA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

23. 1. A method for transmitting and receiving signals using an antenna having a waveguide and a metasurface coupled to the waveguide, the antenna having an amplifier for amplifying signals received by a radiating antenna element and signals transmitted by the radiating antenna element, the method comprising: receiving a first set of received signals with one radiating antenna element; amplifying the first set of received signals using a receive path having a low noise amplifier (LNA) before coupling to the waveguide; coupling the amplified received signal to the waveguide via a coupling slot; A method comprising:

24. coupling a second set of transmit signals from the waveguide to the metasurface via the coupling slots; and amplifying the second set of transmit signals after passing through at least a portion of the metasurface using a transmit path having a power amplifier (PA); transmitting a second set of the signals by the one radiating antenna element; and 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

25. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals after modulation using the LNA, and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of signals before modulation using the PA.

26. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein amplifying the first set of receive signals comprises amplifying the first set of receive signals using the LNA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and amplifying the second set of transmit signals comprises amplifying the second set of transmit signals using the PA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

27. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein amplifying the first set of received signals includes amplifying the first set of received signals before modulation using the LNA, and the transmit path is configured to amplify the second set of received signals after modulation using the PA.

28. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein amplifying the first set of received signals comprises amplifying the first set of received signals using the LNA before applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming, and amplifying the second set of transmitted signals comprises amplifying the second set of signals using the PA after applying phase and amplitude adjustments for hologram modulation and beamforming.

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