Adaptive electromagnetic metamaterial structures for emerging applications

通信技术是联邦政府的一项关键优先事项；到2030年，每个加拿大人都将能够接入普遍的高速互联网。为了实现这一目标，正在对高带宽5G网络技术和低地球轨道卫星技术进行大量投资。这项研究将通过使用新兴的电磁变面科学和技术来支持5G和卫星技术，以降低可操纵和可重构天线的延迟、复杂性和成本，从而以更高的数据速率和更少的干扰进行传输。这种颠覆性技术的广泛使用不仅可能在5G和卫星网络中使用，而且还可能在汽车雷达、生物医学成像和传感应用中使用。该计划的长期目标是在基于超材料技术的自适应电磁结构领域开展创新研究。短期内，研究将围绕三个主要主题展开。第一个主题是为下一代宽带无线通信系统开发紧凑、可重构的超材料天线和设备。这些将被放置在现实的平台上(例如手机、平板电脑)，并将根据自适应5G网络的需求进行重新配置。第二个主题是开发自适应可重新配置的亚表面，以实现波束控制和吸收功能。将研究重构自适应亚表面的新方法，包括电子技术、光子技术和微流体技术，最终目标是为每种情况产生最优的可重构控制网络。第三个主题是开发紧凑高效的超材料和超表面天线，适用于可植入和可穿戴的设备，这些设备构成了更大的生物感觉网络的一部分。拟议研究取得成功的关键是在公平和包容各方的环境中征聘和培训HQP。该项目将雇用七名学生，他们将有机会发展先进射频技术的专业技能，这些技能具有很高的价值，可以直接转移到行业中。这些技能包括先进的电磁方法；专门的天线、微波和光子电路设计；先进的制造方法；以及行业标准的测试和测量技术。这些HQP将非常适合在开发电信基础设施、航空航天系统、生物医学设备和物联网(IoT)设备的加拿大公司从事射频工程职业生涯，在这些领域，他们将为加拿大射频技术行业日益增长的竞争力和创新能力做出重大贡献。

Communication Technology is a key federal government priority; by 2030 every Canadian will have access to universal high-speed internet. To achieve this, large investments in high-bandwidth 5G network technologies and low-earth orbit satellite technologies are being made. This research will support 5G and satellite technology by using the emerging science and technology of electromagnetic metasurfaces to reduce the latency, complexity, and cost of steerable and reconfigurable antennas, thus allowing transmission at significantly higher data rates with less interference. Widespread use of such disruptive technology will be possible not only in 5G and satellite networks, but also in automotive radar, biomedical imaging, and sensing applications. The program's long-term objective is to carry out innovative research in the area of adaptive electromagnetic structures based on metamaterial technology. In the short term, the research will focus on three main themes. The first theme is to develop compact reconfigurable metamaterial antennas and devices for next-generation broadband wireless communication systems. These will be placed on realistic platforms (e.g., mobile phones, tablets), and will be reconfigurable based on the demands of adaptive 5G networks. The second theme is to develop adaptive reconfigurable metasurfaces for the implementation of beam steering and absorption functionalities. Novel methods to reconfigure the adaptive metasurfaces will be investigated, including electronic, photonic and microfluidic techniques, with the end goal of producing optimal reconfigurable control networks for each case. The third theme is to develop compact and highly-efficient metamaterial and metasurface antennas suitable for implantable and wearable devices that form a part of larger bio-sensory networks. Critical to the success of the proposed research is the recruitment and training of HQP in an equitable and inclusive environment. A total of seven students will be employed in this program, who will have the opportunity to develop specialized skills in advanced RF technology which are highly valued and transferrable directly to industry. These skills include advanced electromagnetic methods; specialized antenna, microwave and photonic circuit design; advanced fabrication methods; and industry-standard testing and measurement techniques. These HQP will be uniquely suited to pursue RF engineering careers at Canadian companies developing telecommunications infrastructure, aerospace systems, biomedical devices, and internet-of-things (IoT) devices, where they will make significant contributions to the growing competitiveness and innovation capacity of the Canadian RF technology sector.