Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) in the Sub-6 GHz Band: Design, Implementation, and Real-World Demonstration

Araghi, Ali, Khalily, Mohsen, Safaei, Mahmood ORCID: 0000-0002-3924-6927, Bagheri, Amirasood, Singh, Vikrant, Wang, Fan and Tafazoll, Rahim (2022) Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) in the Sub-6 GHz Band: Design, Implementation, and Real-World Demonstration. IEEE Access, 10. pp. 2646-2655. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2022.314027

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Text (Peer Reviewed Version) 10684 Safaei et al (2022) Reconfigurable_Intelligent_Surface_RIS_in_the_Sub-6_GHz_band_Design_Implementation_and_Real-World_Demonstration.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Here, we first aim to explain practical considerations to design and implement a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in the sub-6 GHz band and then, to demonstrate its real-world performance. The wave manipulation procedure is explored with a discussion on relevant electromagnetic (EM) concepts and backgrounds. Based on that, the RIS is designed and fabricated to operate at the center frequency of 3.5 GHz. The surface is composed of 2430 unit cells where the engineered reflecting response is obtained by governing the microscopic characteristics of the conductive patches printed on each unit cell. To achieve this goal, the patches are not only geometrically customized to properly reflect the local waves, but also are equipped with specific varactor diodes to be able to reconfigure their response when it is required. An equivalent circuit model is presented to analytically evaluate the unit cell’s performance with a method to measure the unit cell’s characteristics from the macroscopic response of the RIS. The patches are printed on six standard-size substrates which then placed together to make a relatively big aperture with approximate planar dimensions of 120×120 cm 2 . The manufactured RIS possesses a control unit with a custom-built system that can control the response of the reflecting surface by regulating the performance of the varactor diode on each printed patch across the structure. Furthermore, with an introduction of our test-bed system, the functionality of the developed RIS in an indoor real-world scenario is assessed. Finally, we showcase the capability of the RIS in hand to reconfigure itself in order to anomalously reflect the incoming EM waves toward the direction of interest in which a receiver could be experiencing poor coverage.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface; Electromagnetic Wave Control; Anomalous Reflection; Periodic Structures; 5G and 6G Wireless Networks; Test-Bed
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences
Research Priority Areas:	Applied Business & Technology
Depositing User:	Kate Greenaway
Date Deposited:	16 Feb 2022 14:21
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2023 11:14
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/10684

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