Decoupling Backward Scattering Control and Forward Beamformed Communication in a Shared‐Aperture Retro‐Reflective/Transmissive Metasurface

ABSTRACT Integrating electromagnetic scattering engineering and high‐quality wireless links on the same platform is fundamentally challenged by the coupling between reflection and transmission channels in shared‐aperture structures. Here we report a programmable retro‐reflective and transmissive metasurface (RRTM) that decouples backward scattering enhancement from forward beamformed communication within a single co‐aperture. A four‐state meta‐atom using two embedded positive–intrinsic–negative (PIN) diodes provides 1‐bit phase control in both reflection and transmission channels, enabling unified digital coding for dual functionalities. A 16 × 16 prototype is driven by a field‐programmable gate array (FPGA) and cascaded shift registers for rapid reconfiguration among transmissive beam steering, retro‐reflective scattering enhancement and hybrid operation. Experiments at 8 GHz validate wide‐angle transmit beam steering up to ± 60° and angular‐adaptive retroreflection up to 50° incidence. A video transmission link with a well‐clustered 16‐ary quadrature amplitude modulation constellation further confirms the quality of beamformed communication. Finally, a checkerboard co‐aperture coding strategy enables simultaneous retroreflection and transmit beam scanning, preserving narrow beams and low sidelobes in concurrent operation. The proposed architecture provides a practical route toward integrated platforms that require coordinated scattering control and directional wireless links.