Design of conformal surface wave communication metamaterial structure

To meet the requirements of signal transmission in intelligent wireless communication environments, a metamaterial structure for surface wave communication by manipulating electromagnetic waves is proposed. The surface wave communication system operates in the millimeter-wave frequency band at 28 GHz and is composed of copper and polyimide, with a thickness of only 0.044 \lambda . The structure is conformally attached to the edges, corners, and nearby planar surfaces of objects. The phase gradient metasurface captures incident waves from the space on one side of the wall and converts them into surface waves, which then propagate conformally along the surface of the plasmonic metal structure. On the other side, the metasurface reconverts the surface waves back into space waves, which are emitted into free space, thereby achieving surface wave communication between the two sides of the space. Simulation and experimental results of the transmission coefficients on both sides of the space demonstrate that the surface wave communication enabled by the metamaterial structure enhances signal coverage in communication blind spots, indicating its practical application value in millimeter-wave communication.