Reconfigurable leaky Fourier surfaces for customized beamforming and scanning

Recently, the metasurface, with full control of electromagnetic wave properties over a deep-subwavelength thin surface, has been widely exploited in radar and communication systems, and is important for next-generation wireless power transfer systems, 6G communications, and other technologies. In these contexts, there are high demands for active metasurface devices with a simple feeding structure, high gain, and full-space beamforming. Here, a multifunctional leaky Fourier surface (LFS) based on a metasurface is proposed to achieve complete control of leaky electromagnetic waves through Fourier engineering. Such LFS directly maps the on-demand electromagnetic functionalities into the profile of a microstrip line with sinusoidal bends by customizing the Fourier components of the leaky surface. In doing so, we have shown several complicated and advanced functionalities, including wideband beam scanning, multiple beam generation with arbitrary gain ratios, omnidirectional scanning, and dual-beam full-space scanning. Our LFS architecture with superior beamforming capabilities is important for next-generation wireless energy, information, and communications systems.