Tunable metasurfaces are ultra-thin, artificial electromagnetic components that provide engineered and externally adjustable functionalities. The programmable metasurface, the HyperSurFace, concept consists in integrating controllers within the metasurface that interact locally and communicate globally to obtain a given electromagnetic behaviour. Here, we address the design constraints introduced by both functions accommodated by the programmable metasurface, i.e., the desired metasurface operation and the unit cells wireless communication enabling such programmable functionality. The design process for meeting both sets of specifications is thoroughly discussed. Two scenarios for wireless intercell communication are proposed. The first exploits the metasurface layer itself, while the second employs a dedicated communication layer beneath the metasurface backplane. Complexity and performance trade-offs are highlighted.
@article{arxiv.1803.08886,
title = {Intercell Wireless Communication in Software-defined Metasurfaces},
author = {Anna C. Tasolamprou and Mohammad Sajjad Mirmoosa and Odysseas Tsilipakos and Alexandros Pitilakis and Fu Liu and Sergi Abadal and Albert Cabellos-Aparicio and Eduard Alarcon and Christos Liaskos and Nikolaos V. Kantartzis and Sergei Tretyakov and Maria Kafesaki and Eleftherios N. Economou and Costas M. Soukoulis},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1803.08886},
year = {2018}
}