Design of a graphene-based reconfigurable intelligent surface in THz spectrum

In the quest for sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication technology, Terahertz (THz) waves have emerged as a promising technology for high-speed wireless communication systems due to their unique properties, including large bandwidth and low interference. In this context, graphene-based components play a crucial role as they offer exceptional electrical and optical properties. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of graphene-based components such as modulators, phase shifters, and antennas with a particular emphasis on reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS). A graphene-based unit cell for the implementation of a multifunctional metasurface has been implemented and numerically analyzed. To show the potentiality of this structure, two approaches have been developed: a coding-based one, namely “digital” and an “analog” one based on geometrical variations of graphene's aperture.