Intelligent Radome Design Using Multilayer Metamaterial Structures to Realize Energy Isolation and Asymmetric Propagation of Electromagnetic Wave

Abstract: An intelligent radome utilizing composite metamaterial structures is presented and investigated in this article, which can realize energy isolation and asymmetric propagation of electromagnetic (EM) wave self-adaptively by controlling states of PIN diodes. The whole structure mainly consists of a broadband polarization-sensitive polarization converter (PC) and an active frequency selective rasorber (AFSR) switching between a transmission mode and absorption mode which is used as an energy-selective surface (ESS). Among them, the function of the PC is to make the EM waves transmit asymmetrically, and the purpose of AFSR is to make the high-power waves be reflected or absorbed, which depends on the polarization type of the wave. Thus, the radome can realize both asymmetric propagations of EM wave and electromagnetic shielding. The equivalent circuit models (ECM) and parametric studies are considered to explain the physical operating mechanism of PC and AFSR. The fabricated structure with 7*7 unit cells is experimentally demonstrated and the measured results agree with simulated results well. Considering the distinctive characteristic of self-actuation, the presented concept has the potential application in electromagnetic stealth and HPEMWs shielding to protect communication devices.