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An overview of the theory and applications of metasurfaces: The two-dimensional equivalents of metamaterials

Publication ,  Journal Article
Holloway, CL; Kuester, EF; Gordon, JA; O'Hara, J; Booth, J; Smith, DR
Published in: IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine
July 17, 2012

Metamaterials are typically engineered by arranging a set of small scatterers or apertures in a regular array throughout a region of space, thus obtaining some desirable bulk electromagnetic behavior. The desired property is often one that is not normally found naturally (negative refractive index, near-zero index, etc.). Over the past ten years, metamaterials have moved from being simply a theoretical concept to a field with developed and marketed applications. Three-dimensional metamaterials can be extended by arranging electrically small scatterers or holes into a two-dimensional pattern at a surface or interface. This surface version of a metamaterial has been given the name metasurface (the term metafilm has also been employed for certain structures). For many applications, metasurfaces can be used in place of metamaterials. Metasurfaces have the advantage of taking up less physical space than do full three-dimensional metamaterial structures; consequently, metasurfaces offer the possibility of less-lossy structures. In this overview paper, we discuss the theoretical basis by which metasurfaces should be characterized, and discuss their various applications. We will see how metasurfaces are distinguished from conventional frequency-selective surfaces. Metasurfaces have a wide range of potential applications in electromagnetics (ranging from low microwave to optical frequencies), including: (1) controllable smart surfaces, (2) miniaturized cavity resonators, (3) novel wave-guiding structures, (4) angular-independent surfaces, (5) absorbers, (6) biomedical devices, (7) terahertz switches, and (8) fluid-tunable frequency-agile materials, to name only a few. In this review, we will see that the development in recent years of such materials and/or surfaces is bringing us closer to realizing the exciting speculations made over one hundred years ago by the work of Lamb, Schuster, and Pocklington, and later by Mandel'shtam and Veselago. © 2012 IEEE.

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Published In

IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine

DOI

ISSN

1045-9243

Publication Date

July 17, 2012

Volume

54

Issue

2

Start / End Page

10 / 35

Related Subject Headings

  • Networking & Telecommunications
  • 4006 Communications engineering
  • 1005 Communications Technologies
  • 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Holloway, C. L., Kuester, E. F., Gordon, J. A., O’Hara, J., Booth, J., & Smith, D. R. (2012). An overview of the theory and applications of metasurfaces: The two-dimensional equivalents of metamaterials. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, 54(2), 10–35. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAP.2012.6230714
Holloway, C. L., E. F. Kuester, J. A. Gordon, J. O’Hara, J. Booth, and D. R. Smith. “An overview of the theory and applications of metasurfaces: The two-dimensional equivalents of metamaterials.” IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine 54, no. 2 (July 17, 2012): 10–35. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAP.2012.6230714.
Holloway CL, Kuester EF, Gordon JA, O’Hara J, Booth J, Smith DR. An overview of the theory and applications of metasurfaces: The two-dimensional equivalents of metamaterials. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine. 2012 Jul 17;54(2):10–35.
Holloway, C. L., et al. “An overview of the theory and applications of metasurfaces: The two-dimensional equivalents of metamaterials.” IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, vol. 54, no. 2, July 2012, pp. 10–35. Scopus, doi:10.1109/MAP.2012.6230714.
Holloway CL, Kuester EF, Gordon JA, O’Hara J, Booth J, Smith DR. An overview of the theory and applications of metasurfaces: The two-dimensional equivalents of metamaterials. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine. 2012 Jul 17;54(2):10–35.

Published In

IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine

DOI

ISSN

1045-9243

Publication Date

July 17, 2012

Volume

54

Issue

2

Start / End Page

10 / 35

Related Subject Headings

  • Networking & Telecommunications
  • 4006 Communications engineering
  • 1005 Communications Technologies
  • 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering