Modulator Design for THz Communication Based on Vanadium Dioxide Metasurface

Abstract

With the continuous development of modern information society, all kinds of high-speed wireless communication application are emerging, while the traditional spectrum resources are becoming scarce.The terahertz (THz) band is an enabler for wireless communication (Beyond 5G) since the excellent characteristics of terahertz communication. It is extremely challenging to design the modulator for THz communications.In this paper, an electrically controlled THz metasurface was designed and fabricated based on the phase transition characteristic of Vanadium Dioxide (VO2). It can switch between two resonant states with a large difference in transmittance. The experimental results show that the transmittance of perpendicular incident THz wave reaches to the highest at 0.31 THz. When the applied voltage is increased from 0 V to 8 V, the transmittance significantly decreases to the lowest value at 0.41 THz. The modulation depth can be up to 59% in the entire band of 0.2-0.6 THz. This work is of great significance for the research and development of THz modulators.