Reconfigurable Multifunction Polarization Converter Integrated With PIN Diode

Abstract

A novel reconfigurable polarization conversion method based on a metasurface turned by PIN diodes is proposed herein. The proposed metasurface consists of one layer of a dielectric and two layers of metal surfaces. When the diode is in an OFF-state, a wideband linear to circular (LTC) polarization converter is realized. The results show that the metasurface can achieve LTC polarization conversion in the frequency range of 11.8-24.1 GHz, and the axial ratio (AR) reveals that the 3-dB bandwidth is approximately 68.5%. When the diode is in the ON-state, a dual-band linear to linear (LTL) polarization converter is realized, with the 3-dB bandwidths of 10.5-13.9 GHz and 17.7-27.2 GHz, achieving a polarization converter ratio (PCR) greater than 90%. The dc bias circuit of the PIN diode is etched on the reflectance surface. Therefore, no additional feeding lines are introduced, which can decrease the impact on the active metasurface; this metasurface has practical applications in microwave communication systems.