Additively manufactured conductive and dielectric 3D metasurfaces for independent manipulation of broadband orbital angular momentum

• Conductive and dielectric multimaterial printing is applied to implement dual-band broadband metasurface designs. • A new application of deep learning in the metasurface inverse design is introduced to achieve high efficiency and high accuracy. • A compact dual-band metasurface is achieved for producing two reflective orbital angular beams at 62–72 GHz and 81–92 GHz. • Material analysis and characterisation results are validated for silver nanoparticles and acrylate polymers multimaterial printing. Recent developments in conductive and dielectric multi-material additive manufacturing have generated significant interest for their potential to enhance the performance of electronic devices. Lights-out digital manufacturing, a sophisticated multi-material printing technique, facilitates the seamless sintering of silver nanoparticles and acrylate inks, enabling the creation of functional electronic devices. In this study, the LDM process is utilized to prototype intricate 3D metasurface designs. A comprehensive analysis of the properties of the printed materials confirms the practicality of this multi-material printing approach. The research examines various element distributions within multi-metal layer structures, including carbon, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur, and fluorine, to investigate the interfaces between conductive and dielectric structures. In addition, the conductivities of silver nanoparticle inks at different curing temperatures are studied to identify optimal printing conditions. Both the conductive and dielectric inks exhibit precisely controlled particle sizes and exceptional stability, which are critical for accurate additive manufacturing. Using this sophisticated printing solution, the paper presents a broadband 3D metasurface engineered to independently manipulate two distinct orbital angular momentum states in the V-band (60–70 GHz) and W-band (79–90 GHz), suitable for high-speed wireless communications. The integration of deep neural networks helps reduce the phase coupling between the frequency bands, enabling independent control of the OAM states. The structure of the dual-band metasurface features four distinct silver layers yet is fabricated on a single ultra-thin planar substrate, demonstrating its potential for applications in future wireless communication systems.