A compact angularly stable phase gradient metasurface for wide angle beam steering

Abstract

This article presents a compact phase gradient metasurface for achieving precise anomalous reflection in beam steering applications. A metallic patch-based unit cell geometry is designed at 5 GHz, which exhibits a maximum reflection magnitude of 2 dB and a wide reflection phase range of 330°. Based on the phase variation, the unit cells are arranged in periodic configurations to realize 1-bit and 3-bit PGMS structures, enabling redirection of normally incident signals to 30° and 60° angles, with beam steering across a broad angular range of ±60°. The 3-bit PGMS is further analyzed for 30° beam steering, demonstrating an improved half-power beamwidth of 8.9°, high directivity of 22 dB, and a reduced sidelobe level of −17.08 dB. The structure has been fabricated for experimental validation. The measured results confirm that the maximum power is received at the desired reflection angle of +30° along with a gain improvement of above 15 dB compared to a metallic surface. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.