Reduction of Radar Cross Section by Adopting Symmetrical Coding Metamaterial Design for Terahertz Frequency Applications

Materials (Basel). 2023 Jan 23;16(3):1030. doi: 10.3390/ma16031030.

Abstract

This work focused on the novel and compact 1-bit symmetrical coding-based metamaterial for radar cross section reduction in terahertz frequencies. A couple of coding particles were constructed to impersonate the elements '0' and '1', which have phase differences of 180°. All the analytical simulations were performed by adopting Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio 2019 software. Moreover, the transmission coefficient of the element '1' was examined as well by adopting similar software and validated by a high-frequency structure simulator. Meanwhile, the frequency range from 0 to 3 THz was set in this work. The phase response properties of each element were examined before constructing various coding metamaterial designs in smaller and bigger lattices. The proposed unit cells exhibit phase responses at 0.84 THz and 1.54 THz, respectively. Meanwhile, the analysis of various coding sequences was carried out and they manifest interesting monostatic and bistatic radar cross section (RCS) reduction performances. The Coding Sequence 2 manifests the best bistatic RCS reduction values in smaller lattices, which reduced from -69.8 dBm2 to -65.5 dBm2 at 1.54 THz. On the other hand, the monostatic RCS values for all lattices have an inclined line until they reach a frequency of 1.0 THz from more than -60 dBm2. However, from the 1.0 THz to 3.0 THz frequency range the RCS values have moderate discrepancies among the horizontal line for each lattice. Furthermore, two parametric studies were performed to examine the RCS reduction behaviour, for instance, multi-layer structures and as well tilt positioning of the proposed coding metamaterial. Overall it indicates that the integration of coding-based metamaterial successfully reduced the RCS values.

Keywords: coding metamaterial; coding particles; lattice; radar cross section.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), MOE, Malaysia, Code: FRGS/1/2022/TK07/UKM/02/22.