A MEMS-based terahertz broadband beam steering technique

TL;DR

This paper introduces a MEMS-based terahertz beam steering method that significantly broadens bandwidth and scanning angles, enabling advanced applications in communication, radar, and imaging.

Contribution

It proposes a multi-level tunable reflection array technique combining lenses and MEMS mirrors for wide-angle, broadband terahertz beam steering.

Findings

Bandwidth exceeds 40GHz

Scanning angle about 30 degrees

Response time around 1.1ms

Abstract

A multi-level tunable reflection array wide-angle beam scanning method is proposed to address the limited bandwidth and small scanning angle issues of current terahertz beam scanning technology. In this method, a focusing lens and its array are used to achieve terahertz wave spatial beam control, and MEMS mirrors and their arrays are used to achieve wide-angle beam scanning. The 1~3 order terahertz MEMS beam scanning system designed based on this method can extend the mechanical scanning angle of MEMS mirrors by 2~6 times, when tested and verified using an electromagnetic MEMS mirror with a 7mm optical aperture and a scanning angle of 15{\deg} and a D-band terahertz signal source. The experiment shows that the operating bandwidth of the first-order terahertz MEMS beam scanning system is better than 40GHz, the continuous beam scanning angle is about 30{\deg}, the continuous beam scanning cycle response time is about 1.1ms, and the antenna gain is better than 15dBi at 160GHz. This method has been validated for its large bandwidth and scalable scanning angle, and has potential application prospects in terahertz dynamic communication, detection radar, scanning imaging, and other fields.