SOFTWARE DEFINED MATERIALS FOR DYNAMIC CONTROL OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES (ANIMATE)

用于电磁波动态控制的软件定义材料（动画）

基本信息

批准号：
EP/R035393/1
负责人：
Y Hao
金额：
$ 169.66万
依托单位：
Queen Mary University of London
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2018 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FR035393%2F1
关键词：
SOFTWARE DEFINED MATERIALS DYNAMIC CONTROL

项目摘要

Inspired by recent scientific breakthroughs in the area of transformation optics (TO) and metamaterials, QMUL in collaboration with its partners and UK industries have demonstrated several novel antenna solutions which potentially offer new composite flat lens antenna, surface wave and metasurface devices that could be embedded into the skin of vehicles without compromising aerodynamic performance, representing a major leap forward for future technologies related to the Internet of Things (IoT), CubeSat and Space Communications. The potential of the underlying design approaches have much wider applicability in arguably all technical challenges as addressed above. For example, we extended the TO technique to design novel beam steerable antennas . Instead of moving or tilting the feed/reflctor, we employ an alternative way to manipulate the reflected emission by varying the permittivity of dielectrics derived from TO. This method has the merits of maintaining a flat profile, being capable of beam-steering and frequeny agility. Combining with appropriate feed designs, the system can be effectively be used as either a single radiator or an array fulfilling massive MIMO functions. In a broad sense, dielectric substrates with spatially varying permittivity and/or permeability can be regarded as a "magic black box", whose properties are programmable according to required functional requirements. In the proposed ANIMATE project, we refer to this magic black box as "software defined materials", since they demonstrate far-reaching capabilities well beyond conventional antennas and arguably in all devices and systems that exploit electromagnetic spectra. To enable this step change, a suite of novel advanced materials must be studied and developed, especially, active materials and structures with low loss, high tunability but low DC power dissipation are desirable. In addition, a robust biasing network is needed so that material building blocks can be individually controlled. In spite of the longstanding quest and intensive research over the years, this subject area still remains insufficiently explored. With ongoing advances in modelling and manufacturing tools, it is now possible to revisit some fundamental limits imposed on conventional materials and antenna designs. The vision of ANIMATE is therefore to unlock contributions and expertise from multiple disciplines, to develop a core programme of research on software defined materials, which will enable dynamic control of electromagnetic waves for applications in sensing, communications and computation.The ultimate objective of ANIMATE is to remove the traditional boundary between the designs of antennas and RF/microwave electronics as well as materials and devices, so that a generic material platform can be developed that is programmable and flexible for multifunctional applications integrating communication, sensing and computation. Specifically, in this project, we will:1. Establish a holistic approach of software-defined materials for communication, sensing and computation, by building novel integrated and adaptive antenna technologies.2. Integrate wireless sensor networks into the design of computer interface and control units for tunable materials to demonstrate and validate the wholly new concept of "networked materials" at subwavelength scales.3. Exploit challenging applications of proposed antenna and material technologies with our core industrial partners at all stages of development: prototyping, manufacturing, toolbox validation, platform integration and testing. 4. Research novel active and tunable materials and investigate fundamental limits of relevant materials to industrial challenges.5. Develop simulation tools that span from materials, device and process modeling with intricate complexities that open up the design domain significantly and enable the production of optimal structures with improved performance.

Qmul受到转型光学（TO）和超材料领域最近的科学突破的启发，与其合作伙伴和英国行业合作，展示了一些新型的天线解决方案，这些解决方案可能提供新的复合扁平透镜天线，表面波和跨境设备，这些设备可以嵌入无效的Interlets Internet for Interlets Interlets Interlets Internet the Internity Internal Internal Internal Internal Internal Internald of Aergrormans vess，而构成了空气效果，并将其构成主要的空气效果，而不是构成空气效果，而不是构成了空气效果，并且是众多的空气效果。（IoT），Cubesat和Space Communications。基础设计方法的潜力在上述所有技术挑战中具有更大的适用性。例如，我们将技术扩展到设计新颖的光束可通向天线。我们没有移动或倾斜饲料/反映器，而是采用另一种方法来操纵反射的发射，而改变了源自to的电介质的介电特征。该方法具有维持平坦轮廓的优点，能够进行光束传动和频繁的敏捷性。结合适当的进料设计，该系统可以有效地用作单个散热器或阵列实现的大量MIMO功能。从广义上讲，具有空间变化的介电常数和/或渗透性的介电底物可以被视为“魔术黑匣子”，根据所需的功能要求，其属性是可以编程的。在拟议的动画项目中，我们将此魔术黑匣子称为“软件定义材料”，因为它们在传统天线中表现出深远的功能，并且可以说在利用电磁光谱的所有设备和系统中。为了实现这一步骤的变化，必须研究和开发一系列新型的高级材料，尤其是具有低损失，高可调性但DC功率较低的活性材料和结构。此外，还需要一个强大的偏置网络，以便可以单独控制材料构建块。尽管多年来进行了长期的追求和深入的研究，但该主题领域仍然没有得到充分的探索。随着建模和制造工具的持续进展，现在可以重新审视对传统材料和天线设计施加的一些基本限制。因此，动画的愿景是为了从多个学科中解除贡献和专业知识，以开发软件定义材料的核心研究计划，该计划将使电磁波动态控制感应，通信和计算的应用。灵活的用于集成通信，传感和计算的多功能应用程序。具体来说，在这个项目中，我们将：1。通过构建新颖的集成和自适应天线技术，建立软件定义的材料进行通信，传感和计算的整体方法。2。将无线传感器网络集成到可调材料的计算机界面和控制单元的设计中，以在亚波长度尺度上演示和验证“网络材料”的全新概念。3。在开发的各个阶段，提出的天线和材料技术的具有挑战性的应用：原型制造，制造，工具箱验证，平台集成和测试。 4。研究新颖的活跃和可调材料，并研究相关材料对工业挑战的基本限制。5。开发从材料，设备和过程建模的仿真工具，具有复杂的复杂性，可以显着开放设计领域，并能够生产具有提高性能的最佳结构。