Chen Kai, Song Wenju, Li Zhaolin, Wang Zihao, Ma Junqing, Wang Xinjie, Sun Tao, Guo Qinglei, Shi Yanpeng, Qin Wei-Dong, Song Aimin, Chen Hou-Tong, Zhang Yifei
Shandong Technology Center of Nanodevices and Integration, School of Integrated Circuits, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China.
Institute of Novel Semiconductors, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China.
Nanophotonics. 2024 Jan 29;13(12):2101-2105. doi: 10.1515/nanoph-2023-0645. eCollection 2024 May.
Terahertz (THz) waves have gained considerable attention in the rising 6G communication due to their large bandwidth. However, the cost and power consumption become the major constraints for the commercialization of 6G THz systems as the frequency increases. Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) comprising active metasurfaces and digital controllers has been proposed for beamforming in the 6G multiple-input-multiple-output systems, showing good potential to suppress the system size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP). Currently, their controlling diodes can hardly work up to THz frequencies. Therefore, several active stimuli have been investigated as alternatives. Among them, chalcogenide phase-change material GeSbTe (GST) addresses large modulation depth, picosecond switching speed, and non-volatile properties. Notably, the non-volatile GST may enable RIS systems with memory and low control power. This work briefly reviews the advances of GST-tuned THz metamaterials (MTMs), discusses the current obstacles to overcome, and gives a perspective of GST applications in the rising 6G communications.
太赫兹（THz）波因其大带宽而在新兴的6G通信中受到了广泛关注。然而，随着频率的增加，成本和功耗成为了6G太赫兹系统商业化的主要限制因素。为了在6G多输入多输出系统中进行波束成形，人们提出了由有源超表面和数字控制器组成的可重构智能表面（RIS），它在抑制系统尺寸、重量和功耗（SWaP）方面显示出良好的潜力。目前，其控制二极管在太赫兹频率下几乎无法工作。因此，人们研究了几种有源激励作为替代方案。其中，硫族化物相变材料锗锑碲（GST）具有较大的调制深度、皮秒级的开关速度和非易失性。值得注意的是，非易失性GST可能使RIS系统具有记忆功能且控制功耗较低。本文简要回顾了GST调谐太赫兹超材料（MTM）的进展，讨论了当前需要克服的障碍，并展望了GST在新兴6G通信中的应用前景。
