Switched-Beam Graphene Plasmonic Nanoantenna in the Terahertz Wave Region

Large-distance communications beyond a few meters is challenging for Terahertz (THz) signals because of high spreading loss and absorption in the media. The smart antenna concept used for RF antennas to improve the signal-to-interference/noise level can be extended to these THz antennas. Out of the two types of implementations of this concept, viz. (i) adaptive array and (ii) switched-beam antenna, this paper presents the switched-beam nanoantenna for the THz wave region. Based on the Yagi-Uda antenna concept, switched-beam graphene nanoantennas over silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrate is proposed in this paper. In one case (Antenna-I), the antenna is able to switch the beam in ± 90o directions, whereas in the other case (Antenna-II), the switching directions are 0o, ± 90o, 180o. This pattern reconfigurability can also be observed over a frequency range leading to simultaneous pattern and frequency reconfigurable nature of the nanoantenna. The reconfigurability is obtained by changing the graphene conductivity through its chemical potential. Due to plasmonic wave propagation in graphene at THz, the proposed graphene nanoantenna resonates at a sub-wavelength scale. Design aspects and the working principle of switched-beam graphene plasmonic nanoantennas in the THz region are discussed in this paper.