Chip‐Integrated Millimeter‐Wave Imaging System via a Low‐Profile and Polarization‐Multiplexed Holographic Tensor Metasurface

Abstract A holographic tensor metasurface (HTM) is proposed to independently manipulate both the co‐polarized and cross‐polarized holograms while avoiding crosstalk between the two different channels. A complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip operating in the millimeter‐wave band is employed to excite the HTM. The CMOS chip consists of a sub‐harmonic mixer and a power amplifier, and a transition based on coaxial and microstrip lines is designed to connect the chip with a planar feed. By integrating the CMOS chip with the proposed HTM, a novel imaging system is established, which converts intermediate frequency (IF) signals into radio frequency (RF) signals for multi‐channel holographic imaging. Different from conventional spatial‐wave illuminated metasurfaces, the proposed surface‐wave illuminated HTM fed by a planar monopole antenna eliminates the misalignment error between the horn feeding and metasurface. The chip‐integrated millimeter‐wave imaging system is experimentally validated. With the advantages of low cost, low profile, and planar integration, the proposed framework may boost the commercialization of metasurface‐based portable holographic imaging systems.