IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 67, NO.
3, MARCH 2019
Novel Multifunctional Reconfigurable Active
Frequency Selective Surface
Ratanak Phon, Saptarshi Ghosh , Member, IEEE, and Sungjoon Lim , Member, IEEE
Abstract— In this paper, a multifunctional active frequency
selective surface (MAFSS) is presented based on the switching
responses of active components. The proposed structure com-
prises periodic arrays of metallic patterns imprinted on both
sides of an FR4 substrate on which p-i-n diodes are embedded
with parallel feed networks. The novelty of the design lies in
its multifunctional characteristics with independent control of
the biasing states (ON/ OFF ) of the diodes mounted on opposite
layers. This leads to four different working states (dual bandpass
for OFF –OFF state, single-band absorber for OFF –ON state, single-
bandpass for ON–OFF state, and reflector for ON–ON state) being
facilitated by the proposed reconfigurable AFSS. Furthermore,
the effects of the design parameters and active components on
multifunctional responses are extensively analyzed by deriving
equivalent circuit models. Even though the topology is polariza-
tion sensitive, multiple dividable working functions (transmission,
absorption, and reflection) have been realized in single geometry,
unlike the earlier reported designs. The proposed structure
has also been fabricated, and the measured responses show
reasonable agreement with the simulated results under normal
incidence. An MAFSS with such diverse characteristics is an
essential element for regulating electromagnetic wave propaga-
tion in manifold applications.
Index Terms— Active frequency selective surface (AFSS),
multifunctional AFSS (MAFSS), p-i-n diode, reconfigurable
structure.
I. I NTRODUCTION
I N THE past decade, active frequency selective surface
(AFSS) designs have attracted substantial research interest
owing to their reconfigurable characteristics and multifunc-
tional behaviors [1]–[4]. An AFSS can exhibit transmission,
reflection, and/or absorption at single/multiple frequencies of
interest with external control, unlike passive FSS geometries.
In addition, fabrication tolerance, installation error, and par-
asitic element effects can be compensated for by regulating
the responses of the AFSS, even after manufacturing [5].
These significant advantages have led to the development
of different multifunctional AFSS geometries by exploiting
various technologies. Magnetically controlled AFSSs utilize
ferrite tiles and yttrium-iron-garnet substrates to modulate
responses. However, such systems are bulky and unsuitable for
Manuscript received July 19, 2018; revised November 21, 2018; accepted
November 27, 2018. Date of publication December 20, 2018; date of
current version March 5, 2019. This work was supported by the Korean
Government through the National Research Foundation of Korea under Grant
2017R1A2B3003856. (Corresponding author: Sungjoon Lim.)
The authors are with the School of Electrical and Electronics Engi-
neering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, South Korea (e-mail:
ratanak.elc@gmail.com; joysaptarshi@gmail.com; sungjoon@cau.ac.kr).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available
online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TAP.2018.2889002
0018-926X © 2018 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
1709
outdoor applications [6], [7]. Spring resonators and motors are
utilized in mechanical systems to actuate AFSS designs, but
such structures are overly complicated and expensive [8]–[10].
Recently, microfluidically reconfigured AFSS structures have
been proposed to realize multifunctional responses. How-
ever, their switching speeds are not fast enough [11]–[13].
Graphene-based reconfigurable AFSSs seem to be promising
candidates for future designs, but their commercial production
has not yet been achieved [14]. Therefore, researchers are
still relying on conventional methods (i.e., use of varac-
tors and p-i-n diodes) to electronically regulate AFSS struc-
tures [15]–[18]. Based on their small response time, compact
size, and low-cost advantages, these diodes offer various
electromagnetic (EM) functions to AFSS designs, such as
switching, tuning, and polarizing, unlike the earlier reconfig-
urable devices.
Most of the diode-enabled AFSS designs developed to date
are built for single functions, which may be inadequate for
complex EM environments. A few geometries incorporate
tunable transmission characteristics through the use of var-
actors [17], [18], and a few other structures provide tunable
shielding responses in wide frequency ranges [19], [20].
AFSSs switching between reflection and absorption at a single
frequency [21], [22] or in a broadband spectrum [23], [24]
have also been demonstrated. Some structures have been
designed with the goal of switching responses between trans-
mission and reflection [25], whereas other AFSS designs have
been proposed to shift response between transmission and
absorption characteristics [26]. However, most of the existing
designs only offer bistate functions on a single board [27]–[29]
and to the best of our knowledge, no three-function AFSS
geometry has been reported to date. Li et al. [30] have recently
designed a multifunctional AFSS in which EM switching,
polarization selection, and frequency tuning are integrated into
a single geometry. However, this design has the limitation of
exhibiting multifunctional responses between reflection and
transmission only; no absorption or other dividable charac-
teristic has been offered. Therefore, a multifunctional AFSS
independently offering reflection, transmission, and absorption
responses would be very advantageous, where all probable
EM applications could be facilitated by controlling external
stimuli. This type of MAFSSs can be employed in several
narrowband absorber applications, such as bolometer and pixel
detector, whereas its filter (transmission/reflection) characteris-
tic can be exploited in various types of communication devices.
In this paper, a multifunctional AFSS (MAFSS) structure
has been presented in the aim to resolve the above-mentioned
1710 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 67, NO. 3, MARCH 2019

limitations based on a compact and unique topology. The

proposed geometry consists of periodic metallic patterns
imprinted on the opposite sides of a single-layer dielectric
substrate, where switchable p-i-n diodes are mounted asym-
metrically. The MAFSS has been constructed such that it can
integrate four different characteristics (dual-band transmission,
single-band absorption, single-band transmission, and perfect
reflection) with independent control of the biasing states of the
p-i-n diodes soldered on the top and bottom layers. Equivalent
circuit models for individual layer geometries are presented
to explain their operating mechanisms. Oblique incidence
responses have also been studied to investigate the angular
stability of the proposed MAFSS. Finally, a 2-D periodic
array was fabricated and unique biasing circuitries were imple-
mented to regulate the diode components. The prototype,
manufactured through the commercial printed circuit board
(PCB) technique, was measured and found to exhibit reason-
able agreement with the simulated responses under normal
incidence.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows.
Section II presents the proposed design concept for exhibiting
multifunctional responses and discusses its realization based Fig. 1. Working modes of the proposed structure in four different states.
on the metallic patterns. Corresponding equivalent circuit (a) OFF–OFF state. (b) OFF–ON state. (c) ON–OFF state. (d) ON–ON state.
models are also illustrated in this section. Section III describes
numerical studies on the overall MAFSS structure. Section IV
discusses the fabrication and experimental verification of the
MAFSS structure. Finally, concluding remarks and a compar-
ison of the proposed MAFSS to the earlier reported articles
are presented in Section V.

II. MAFSS S TRUCTURE AND E QUIVALENT

C IRCUIT M ODELS
To realize multiple characteristics from a single geometry,
top and bottom layers of an MAFSS structure need to be
designed in particular ways such that they can individually
exhibit distinct behaviors. Through selective control of the
biasing states of the p-i-n diodes, the topologies will either
exhibit transmission or reflection; even absorption response
can be made possible while combining them appropriately. The
possible operating principles of the proposed MAFSS structure
are illustrated in Fig. 1. When both layers are biased to make
transmission mode, the geometry will exhibit single-bandpass
(ON–OFF state) or dual-bandpass response ( OFF–OFF state).
When one of the layers (consider the bottom layer) is regulated
to exhibit the reflective behavior and the complementary (top)
layer is set to be transparent for the incoming wave, then the
overall topology will exhibit perfect reflection (ON–ON state).
Finally, the absorption mode is realized under the OFF–ON
state, while the overall topology has a minimal characteristic
for both transmission and reflection responses.
The unit cell geometries of the proposed top and bottom
layers are illustrated in Fig. 2(a) and (c), respectively. The top
layer is comprised of horizontally connected parallel metallic
grids, of which the outer ones are joined with the neighboring
unit cells. A semiconductor p-i-n diode is soldered across the
gap in the middle strip. The bottom layer is designed in a
similar way, except that the metallic strips are disconnected
Fig. 2. Unit cell geometry of the proposed MAFSS. (a) Top view of the top
layer. (b) Side view of the bottom layer. (c) Top view of the bottom layer.
from each other. Furthermore, two p-i-n diodes are mounted
in each unit cell geometry (unlike the single diode in the top
layer) to facilitate the biasing network arrangement.
Fig. 2(b) shows the side view of the unit cell. FR4 (εr = 4.4
and tan δ = 0.02) is utilized as the intermediate dielectric
with a thickness of 1 mm, whereas copper is used to print
the metallic patterns on the substrate. The p-i-n diodes sol-
dered across the geometry are characterized by small ON-state
resistances (Ron = 3 ) and large OFF-state capacitances
(C OFF = 0.1 pF). The top layer is uniquely designed such
that the topology itself provides the biasing configuration
to the diodes, and no additional inductor is required in the
top pattern. On the contrary, external biasing circuitries are
incorporated in the bottom layer geometry to deliver the bias
voltage across the diodes. Surface-mounted inductors having
the value of 2 nH (with self-resonating frequency of 10 GHz)
are used in the bottom pattern to isolate the EM wave from
the biasing network. The optimized physical dimensions of
the proposed MAFSS structure are as follows: p = 6.5 mm,
d1 = 4.2 mm, d2 = 3.8 mm, d3 = 3.7 mm, a = 0.5 mm,
b = 0.2 mm, c = 0.7 mm, g = 1.2 mm, and w = 0.5 mm.
PHON et al.: NOVEL MULTIFUNCTIONAL RECONFIGURABLE AFSS
Fig. 3. Characterization of the top layer (+dielectric substrate) only.
Equivalent circuit model under (a) OFF state and (b) ON state. (c) Comparison
of scattering parameters between the equivalent circuit model and full-wave
EM simulation. The optimized circuit parameters are: L t1 = 0.0001 nH,
L t2 = 3.83 nH, Ct1 = 0.11 pF, Ct2 = 0.04 pF, Ct,OFF = 0.1 pF, Rt1 = 4 ,
Rt2 = 0.01 , and Rt,ON = 3 .
To analyze the contributions of the individual layers, the top
and bottom metallic patterns are separately characterized
by deriving their corresponding equivalent circuit models,
as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively. The geometry has been
numerically simulated in ANSYS high-frequency structure
simulator (HFSS) software, whereas HP Advanced Design
System (ADS) software has been used to obtain the scattering
responses of the equivalent circuit model. The top layer (+
dielectric substrate) can be modeled as a series–parallel combi-
nation of resistances, inductances, and capacitances, where Ct1
represents the gap capacitance, L t1 and L t2 describe the strip
inductances, and Rt1 and Rt2 attribute to the resistances owing
to the lossy substrate and finite conductivity of the metal.
The coupling capacitance between the neighboring unit cells
(along the electric field direction) is denoted as Ct2 . The diode
model has been replaced with a large capacitance (Ct,OFF ) in
the OFF state and a small resistance (Rt,ON ) in the ON state,
as illustrated in Fig. 3(a) and (b), respectively.
Fig. 3(c) presents the full wave as well as circuit simulation
responses of the top layer geometry, which simultaneously
1711
Fig. 4. Characterization of the bottom layer (+dielectric substrate) only.
Equivalent circuit model under (a) OFF state and (b) ON state. (c) Comparison
of scattering parameters between the equivalent circuit model and full-wave
EM simulation. The optimized circuit parameters are: L b1 = 0.46 nH, L b2 =
0.2 nH, Cb,OFF = 0.4 pF,Rb1 = 0.2 , Rb2 = 0.01 , and Rb,ON = 6 .
provides one bandpass and one bandstop resonance (in both
ON and OFF states). The bandstop characteristic results from
the series combination of inductance–capacitance, while the
parallel inductance–capacitance circuit provides the bandpass
resonance. The frequencies can be obtained through simple
mathematical calculations, as shown in the following [31]:
 √
1 b − b2 − 4ac
Bandstop: f T 1, OFF = (1)
2π 2a

1 (Ct, OFF + Ct1 )
Bandpass: f T 2, OFF = (2)
2π (L t1 + L t2 ) × Ct, OFF × Ct1
where
a = L t1 L t2 Ct1 Ct2 Ct, OFF
b = L t1 Ct1 Ct2 + L t2 Ct2 Ct, OFF + L t1 Ct1 Ct, OFF + L t2 Ct1 Ct, OFF
c = Ct1 + Ct2 + Ct, OFF .
Because the coupling capacitance Ct2 value is too small (due
to the large gap between neighboring unit cells) in comparison
to the diode (Ct,OFF ) and gap capacitances (Ct1 ), the bandstop
and bandpass resonances are very close to each other. The top
1712 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 67, NO. 3, MARCH 2019

Fig. 5. Simulated scattering parameters of the proposed MAFSS structure under (a) OFF–OFF state, (b) OFF–ON state, (c) ON–OFF state, and (d) ON–ON
state.S11 and S21 correspond to the responses due to the EM wave incident from the +z-direction, whereas S22 and S12 represent the responses for the EM
wave incident from the −z-direction. Solid lines: simulated responses using Ansys HFSS software. Dashed line: results calculated from the circuital analysis.

layer geometry, when independently simulated using HFSS appears in the ON state, except a considerable shift is observed
software, exhibits a bandstop response at 10.51 GHz, while the toward the low-frequency regime. The structure results in the
bandpass resonance is obtained at 10.81 GHz in the OFF state. bandstop at 6.07 GHz and bandpass at 7.50 GHz, as indicated
The considerable insertion loss (1.03 dB) in the transmission in Fig. 3(c). In addition, this topology provides a wide trans-
band is attributed to the close proximity of the bandstop mission band in the 7–14 GHz range, which is utilized for
response in the geometry. realizing multifunctional behaviors (when combined with the
In the ON state, the small resistance Rt,ON (equivalent to a bottom layer in the overall MAFSS structure).
short circuit) replaces the OFF-state capacitance in the circuit The bottom layer geometry has a different mechanism com-
model, as depicted in Fig. 3(b). Then, the bandstop and pared to the top layer pattern. As shown in Fig. 4, the bottom
bandpass resonance frequencies can be derived as follows [31]: layer topology can be characterized by inductances (L b1 and
 √ L b2 ) and resistances (Rb1 and Rb2 ) connected through parallel
1 n − n 2 − 4m combination. In the OFF state, the diode provides the sole
Bandstop: f T 3,ON = (3)
2π 2m capacitance (Cb,OFF ) to the geometry, which along with the
1 grid inductances, results in a bandpass response. Fig. 4(c)
Bandpass: f T 4,ON = √ (4) presents a narrowband bandpass response at 9.63 GHz with a
2π (L t1 + L t2 ) × Ct1
small insertion loss of 0.36 dB in the OFF state. The resonance
where frequency can be calculated as follows:
m = L t1 L t2 Ct1 Ct2 1
f B1,O F F =  . (5)
n = L t1 Ct1 + L t2 Ct1 + L t2 Ct2 . 2π (L b1 + L b2 ) × Cb, OFF
It can be seen from the numerical equations and simulated Conversely, this topology does not have any effective capac-
responses that the pair of bandstop and bandpass behaviors still itance in the ON state (due to the continuous connection
PHON et al.: NOVEL MULTIFUNCTIONAL RECONFIGURABLE AFSS
TABLE I
W ORKING M ODES OF THE P ROPOSED MAFSS
between consecutive unit cells). Therefore, no resonance is
generated from the pattern, and the bottom layer behaves as a
perfect reflector over a wide frequency range. The use of par-
allel metallic strips mimicking a reflecting element is a well-
known concept and several articles have implemented similar
grids instead of using a complete metal ground [32], [33].
The scattering parameters have also been calculated for the
bottom metallic pattern (under ON and OFF states), and the
responses are consistent with full-wave simulation, as shown
in Fig. 4(c).
III. N UMERICAL R ESULTS OF MAFSS S TRUCTURE
When the top and bottom layer geometries are combined
across single dielectric substrate, the above-mentioned charac-
teristics are overlapped and result in four different responses
based on the biasing conditions of the diodes. When both
the top- and bottom-layer diodes are reverse biased (OFF–
OFF state), the structure exhibits two bandpass responses
at 8.61 and 11.33 GHz (having insertion loss of 1.07 and
2.70 dB, respectively), as shown in Fig. 5(a). One bandstop
characteristic is also available at 10.60 GHz between the two
transmission bands. The lower bandpass behavior is obtained
from the top layer, whereas the other two resonances (inter-
mediate bandstop and higher bandpass) are obtained from the
bottom layer geometry. The frequencies and the corresponding
insertion losses deviate slightly from their individual responses
as a result of the coupling between metallic patterns. The
finite insertion loss, in particular at higher resonance, can be
attributed to the lossy property of the dielectric substrate (FR4)
used in the geometry.
In the second case (OFF–ON state), the bottom layer geom-
etry exerts reflection behavior, whereas the top layer exhibits
bandpass–bandstop response at approximately 10 GHz. There-
fore, in combination, the overall MAFSS structure blocks
transmission for the entire frequency range (insertion loss
below 14 dB) and reflection is minimized at a particular
frequency. Thus, the geometry results in a narrowband absorp-
tion at 10 GHz (where both reflection and transmission are
adequately low), as observed in Fig. 5(b).
Fig. 5(c) presents the behavior of the proposed MAFSS
structure in the third case (ON–OFF state), where the top
and bottom layer diodes are forward and reverse biased,
respectively. In this case, the top layer allows transmission
1713
Fig. 6. Equivalent circuit model of the proposed AFSS structure. The
optimized circuit parameters are: L t1 = 0.0001 nH, L t2 = 3.27 nH, L b1 =
0.49 pH, L b2 = 0.22 nH, L TL = 1.26 nH, CTL = 0.02 pF,Cc = 0.16 pF,
Ct1 = 0.05 pF, Ct2 = 0.06 pF, Ct,OFF = 0.1 pF,Cb,OFF = 0.35 pF, Rt1 = 4 ,
Rt2 = 0.01 , Rb1 = 0.2 , Rb2 = 0.01 , Rt,ON = 3 , and Rb,ON = 6 .
in the entire X-band (as illustrated in Fig. 3), whereas the
bottom layer provides a single bandpass response at around
10 GHz. Therefore, the overall geometry results in a band-
pass characteristic at 10.15 GHz, with a small insertion loss
of 0.82 dB.
In the final case (ON–ON state), the top layer exhibits wide-
band transmission, but the bottom layer reflects the incident
wave over a wide frequency range. Therefore, the overall
structure is deprived of any resonance and results in reflective
behavior, as illustrated in Fig. 5(d). A summary of the work-
ing modes of the proposed MAFSS is provided in Table I.
It is to be mentioned that the proposed MAFSS exhibits
identical characteristics for both the directions (+z and −z)
under three different working states ( OFF–OFF, ON–OFF, and
ON – ON ), whereas an asymmetrical behavior is obtained during
the other state (absorber for +z, reflector for −z-directions in
case of OFF–ON state).
The identical characteristics under OFF–OFF and ON–OFF
states can be explained due to selective transmission behaviors
for both the top and bottom layers. The EM wave, incident
from either +z- or −z-directions, can efficiently pass through
the overall MAFSS structure, thus resulting in similar pass-
band responses, as shown in Fig. 1(a) and (c). Under the
ON – ON state, the incident wave coming from both (+z and
−z) directions gets reflected from the bottom layer only, as
illustrated in Fig. 1(d). However, asymmetrical behavior is
observed under the OFF–ON state, owing to different design
principles of the top and bottom layers. The bottom layer
acts as a reflector and results in a reflective behavior for
a −z-directed EM wave. For a +z-directed wave, the top
and bottom patterns have the characteristic of minimizing the
reflected and transmitted waves, respectively. This gives rise
to a narrowband absorption from top to bottom direction only
(from +z-direction).
Once the individual circuit parameters are obtained,
the equivalent circuit models for the top and bottom metallic
patterns are combined together to represent the multifunctional
characteristics of the proposed geometry, as shown in Fig. 6.
The transmission line section has been transformed into the
1714 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 67, NO. 3, MARCH 2019

Fig. 7. Simulated scattering parameters of the proposed MAFSS structure under TE polarization. (a) OFF–OFF state. (b) OFF-ON state. (c) ON-OFF state.
(d) ON–ON state. Inset: simulation set up under oblique incidence. The diode characteristics are considered as: RON = 3  and C OFF = 0.1 pF.

circuit elements (combination of L TL and CTL ) using Teleg-
rapher’s equation [28], [31] to efficiently connect the top and
bottom layer lumped elements. Coupling capacitance (Cc )
has also been incorporated in the analysis considering the
effects between the top and bottom layers. The initial values of
these circuital parameters have been derived according to the
Babinet principle [34], [35], and these values are subsequently
optimized in HP ADS software. It is observed in Fig. 5 that
the circuital responses are in reasonable agreement with the
numerical simulations under all four working states, thereby
validating the circuit model.
The proposed MAFSS has also been examined for various
incident angles (θ ) under transverse polarization (TE), as illus-
trated in Fig. 7. In the TE mode, the incident electric field
direction remains constant, while the magnetic field and wave
propagation vector directions vary with the angle. It can be
observed that the response is relatively stable up to 45° angle
of incidence for all four states. Therefore, the geometry can
be considered as angularly stable. The gradual decrease (and
increase) in the 3 dB bandwidth for bandpass (and bandstop)
behavior can be well explained by the change in the wave
impedance value under oblique incidence [36].
IV. E XPERIMENTAL V ERIFICATION
Most of the diode-regulated AFSS structures necessitate
complicated biasing circuitries, which often make the fabrica-
tion procedure difficult and may cause deviations between the
simulated and measured responses. Therefore, it is preferable
to either embed the biasing network in the topology or reduce
the circuitry to the minimum level of complicacy [37], [38].
The structure proposed in this paper has been designed such
that the top layer does not require any dedicated biasing track,
whereas the bottom layer requires nominal external interfer-
ence. Furthermore, the diodes are connected in parallel across
the periodic pattern, meaning only a small amount of voltage is
sufficient to simultaneously regulate all active components in
the large prototype. Unlike most of the earlier reported AFSS
structures (where diodes are serially connected), the proposed
MAFSS structure has the significant advantage of keeping
the overall power consumption at a marginal level, thereby
protecting it from possible damage.
To illustrate the biasing configuration, a schematic of the
bias network across the four unit cells is presented in Fig. 8. In
the top layer, each of the diodes is mounted in the same manner
PHON et al.: NOVEL MULTIFUNCTIONAL RECONFIGURABLE AFSS
Fig. 8. Schematic of the biasing network of the proposed MAFSS structure.
(a) Top layer. (b) Bottom layer.
such that the cathode and anode are connected to the upper
and lower halves of the metallic pattern, respectively. Because
the metallic grids are interconnected with each other on the
upper and lower sides, only two biasing lines are required
to drive all the diodes simultaneously. When the positive and
negative terminals of a voltage source are joined with the lower
and upper halves, respectively, through these bias lines, direct
current flows across the diodes, as shown in Fig. 8(a).
The biasing configuration in the bottom metallic pattern is
slightly different from that in the top layer. An additional set
of inductors is required in the bottom layer geometry, unlike
the top layer configuration. In one set of vertically connected
unit cells, the diodes are mounted such that their cathodes are
facing each other within each unit. Conversely, the cathodes
are facing away from each other in the next column. Therefore,
when alternate metal grids (ignoring the middle strip) are
1715
Fig. 9. Photograph of the fabricated prototype. (a) Top layer. (b) Bottom
layer. Insets: zoomed-in views of the samples. Blue areas: biasing lines at
the boundaries of the prototype, which are connected to the external voltage
sources.
Fig. 10. Measurement setup. (a) Front view. (b) Side view.
connected to the positive and negative terminals of the supply
voltage, the current flows through the diodes in a particular
direction, as illustrated in Fig. 8(b). It is noteworthy that the
diodes in the bottom layer may be implemented in a simpler
way, but that would lead to serial connections across the diodes
(requiring large supply voltage) [39], [40]. This configuration,
being unique in nature, arranges the diodes in parallel feed
and requires only a small voltage to regulate the bottom layer.
The above-mentioned schematic was utilized to fabricate
the proposed MAFSS structure using the PCB technique,
where the top and bottom metallic patterns were printed on
opposite sides of a 1 mm thick FR4 substrate. The p-i-n
diodes (SMP1321-079LF from Skyworks) were soldered
across the gaps in the sample, in both the top and bot-
tom layers. Lumped inductors of requisite frequency (Part
No. MLK1005S2N0STD25) were embedded between the
1716 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 67, NO. 3, MARCH 2019

Fig. 11. Comparison of measured and simulated scattering parameters of the proposed MAFSS structure under TE polarization. (a) OFF–OFF state.
(b) OFF–ON state. (c) ON–OFF state. (d) ON–ON state. The diode characteristics are considered as: RON = 3  and C OFF = 0.17 pF.

TABLE II
C OMPARISON B ETWEEN AFSS S TRUCTURES

biasing lines and periodic patterns to isolate the network from
the radio frequency signal. One voltage source was connected
across the top layer and another was connected to the bottom
periodic pattern. Therefore, the diodes in the top and bottom
layers could be independently regulated via peripheral control,
thereby enabling four different types of switching behaviors.
Fig. 9(a) and (b) presents the photographs of the top and
bottom layers, respectively, of the prototype, along with their
zoomed-in views. The structure was fabricated in 30 × 30
unit cells, where the overall dimension of the sample was
240 mm × 240 mm.
Measurement of the fabricated prototype was carried out
using free-space technique [41]–[43]. Two broadband horn
antennas (operating at 1–18 GHz), used as a transmitter and
PHON et al.: NOVEL MULTIFUNCTIONAL RECONFIGURABLE AFSS
a receiver, were connected to an Anritsu MS2038C network
analyzer. A dual dc regulated power supply (HC-2330AD)
was utilized for supplying the voltage across the diodes. The
sample was surrounded by pyramidal absorbers to reduce
edge effects. The distance between the antennas and the
sample under test was kept slightly above 1 m during the
measurement. The complete measurement setup is illustrated
in Fig. 10.
The numerical analysis of the proposed MAFSS structure
was carried out considering the diode (SMP1321-079 LF)
parameters RON = 3  and C OFF = 0.1 pF, as obtained
from the official data sheet [44]. However, the OFF-state
capacitance of the diode was found to be 0.17 pF after further
investigation. A single p-i-n diode was mounted across a gap
in the transmission line, and the capacitance value was derived
from the scattering parameters of the device (not shown here).
Because the actual diode capacitance value (0.17 pF) was
found to be different from that of the theoretical data (0.1 pF),
the same MAFSS geometry was resimulated using the updated
capacitance value. The measured responses of the fabricated
prototype were then compared to those modified simulated
results and presented in Fig. 11.
Four different characteristics of the MAFSS structure were
obtained based on different biasing conditions for the top and
bottom layers. The sample exhibited a bandpass response at
7.17 GHz (with an insertion loss of 2.36 dB) in the OFF–
OFF state, whereas a narrowband absorption was observed at
8.75 GHz with 94% absorptivity in the OFF–ON state. In the
third case (ON–OFF state), another bandpass behavior was
observed at 8.08 GHz (having an insertion loss of 2.76 dB)
and a reflective behavior occurred in the ON–ON state. The
measured results are depicted in Fig. 11, along with their
corresponding simulated responses. One can see a reasonable
agreement between the measured and simulated results for
all biasing conditions. The small deviations in resonance
frequency and insertion loss can be attributed to fabrication
tolerance, dispersive effects of the parasitic elements, and finite
size of the fabricated prototype.
V. C ONCLUSION
In this paper, a novel reconfigurable MAFSS structure
was designed, analyzed, and tested. The proposed design is
comprised of switchable active components mounted across
the metallic grids on opposite sides of a dielectric sub-
strate. With independent control of the biasing conditions
(ON/ OFF states) of the diodes, the structure realizes different
modes of operation (reflection, transmission, and absorption),
unlike the existing articles, as shown in Table II. The pro-
posed polarization-sensitive MAFSS was also analyzed based
on individual layer-specific equivalent circuit models. The
measured results showed a good agreement with the sim-
ulated responses, thereby validating the proposed concept.
The geometry can further be exploited to display simultane-
ous switchable and tunable transmission–reflection–absorption
characteristics from a single MAFSS structure in near future.
Polarization-insensitive characteristic will also be explored in
the upcoming topologies.
1717
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[26] S. Kitagawa, R. Suga, K. Araki, and O. Hashimoto, “Active absorp- Saptarshi Ghosh (S’14–M’18) was born in India
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magn. Compat. (EMC), Dresden, Germany, Aug. 2015, pp. 1538–1541. ics and telecommunication engineering from the
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frequency selective surface for LTE-2.1 GHz,” IEEE Trans. Antennas respectively.
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selective surfaces made of intertwined slot arrays,” IEEE Trans. Anten- nication Laboratory, Chung-Ang University, Seoul,
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[30] H. Li, Q. Cao, L. Liu, and Y. Wang, “An improved multifunctional active journal papers and 30 conference papers. His current research interests
frequency selective surface,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 66, include metamaterials, microwave absorbers, frequency selective surfaces, and
no. 4, pp. 1854–1862, Apr. 2018. reconfigurable structures.
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Art. no. 031902. Sungjoon Lim (M’06) received the B.S. degree
[41] D. Ye et al., “Towards experimental perfectly-matched layers with ultra- in electronic engineering from Yonsei University,
thin metamaterial surfaces,” IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 60, Seoul, South Korea, in 2002, and the M.S. and Ph.D.
no. 11, pp. 5164–5172, Nov. 2012. degrees in electrical engineering from the University
[42] D. S. Wang, P. Zhao, and C. H. Chan, “Design and analysis of a high-
of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,
selectivity frequency-selective surface at 60 GHz,” IEEE Trans. Microw.
USA, in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
Theory Techn., vol. 64, no. 6, pp. 1694–1703, Jun. 2016.
He was a Post-Doctoral Researcher with the Inte-
[43] S. Ghosh and S. Lim, “Fluidically reconfigurable multifunctional
grated Nanosystem Research Facility, University of
frequency-selective surface with miniaturization characteristic,” IEEE
California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. In 2007,
Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., vol. 66, no. 8, pp. 3857–3865, Aug. 2018.
[44] Accessed: May 2018. [Online]. Available: http://www.skyworksinc.com/ he joined the School of Electrical and Electronics
uploads/documents/200048N.pdf Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, where
he is currently a Full Professor. From 2013 to 2014, he was a Visiting
Scholar with the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA. He has
Ratanak Phon was born in Kandal, Cambodia, authored or co-authored more than 250 international conference, letter, and
in 1994. He received the B.S. degree in electrical journal papers. His current research interests include engineered electromag-
and electronics from the Institute of Technology of netic (EM) structures (metamaterials, EM bandgap materials, and frequency
Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2017. He selective surfaces), printed antennas, substrate integrated waveguide compo-
is currently pursuing the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees nents, inkjet-printed electronics, RF MEMS applications, and the modeling
in integrated program with the School of Electrical and design of microwave circuits and systems.
and Electronics Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Dr. Lim has been a CAU Distinguished Scholar since 2014. He was a
Seoul, South Korea. recipient of the Institution of Engineering and Technology Premium Award
His current research interests include metamateri- in 2009, the ETRI journal Best Paper Award in 2014, the Best Paper Award in
als, frequency selective surfaces, and reconfigurable the 2015 International Workshop on Antenna Technology, and the Best Paper
structures. Award in the 2018 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation.