Nanosecond-level time-domain coding metasurface for radar signal generation

Nanosecond-level time-domain coding metasurface for radar signal generation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Nanosecond-level time-domain coding metasurface for radar signal generation Hui Chu, Boyang Qian, Hanjun Zhao, Xiaohua Zhu, Peng Li, Yong-Xin Guo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5538449/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The time-domain coding metasurface (TDCM) offers a rapid and efficient approach to manipulate frequency spectra of electromagnetic waves within their transmission channels. To date, not only finite-order harmonics can be generated and coded in a discrete manner, the method of frequency modulation for continuous temporal waves is also investigated. However, due to the achievable speed of phase tuning, the modulation bandwidth and applicable scope of the current methods are still limited with respect to the requirement of practical systems. Here, we provide theoretical evaluations of the quality of generated frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar signals with respect to the phase tuning speed, as well as a time-coding metasurface that can achieve a phase tuning speed smaller than 20 ns to support the generation of high quality FMCW signals with a bandwidth larger than 10 MHz. Different from varactors used in conventional approaches, the phase tuning of the proposed TDCM is based on the reconfiguration of a PIN-diode array. With this measure, the phase transition time between adjacent phase states can be reduced to a nano-second level, which is crucial for ultrahigh-speed coding. Furthermore, this design approach is also convenient to be rolled out to X- and even higher frequency bands, which overcomes the frequency spectra constraint when varactors are used. To validate its effectiveness, we have built a C-band radar prototype in which the metasurface operates as a transmitter to measure the range and speed of a flying drone. Physical sciences/Physics/Electronics, photonics and device physics/Electronic and spintronic devices Physical sciences/Materials science/Techniques and instrumentation/Design, synthesis and processing Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5538449","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":394383874,"identity":"c25b4b73-3175-4532-bdb8-1358b3f68b33","order_by":0,"name":"Hui 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