Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces for THz Communications: Fundamentals, Key Solutions, and System Prototyping

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wu, Qingqing, Zhu, Yanze, Peng, Qiaoyan, Hao, Wanming, Hou, Yanzhao, Yang, Fengyuan, Yan, Wencai, Wang, Guoning, Chen, Wen, Qiu, Chi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911015889797120
author Wu, Qingqing
Zhu, Yanze
Peng, Qiaoyan
Hao, Wanming
Hou, Yanzhao
Yang, Fengyuan
Yan, Wencai
Wang, Guoning
Chen, Wen
Qiu, Chi
author_facet Wu, Qingqing
Zhu, Yanze
Peng, Qiaoyan
Hao, Wanming
Hou, Yanzhao
Yang, Fengyuan
Yan, Wencai
Wang, Guoning
Chen, Wen
Qiu, Chi
contents Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) have emerged as a cost-effective technology for terahertz (THz) communications by enabling programmable control of the wireless environment. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of IRSs-aided THz communications, covering hardware designs, advanced signal processing techniques, and practical deployment strategies. It first examines key THz reconfigurable metasurface architectures, including electronic, optical, phase-change material, and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based implementations, highlighting their reconfiguration mechanisms and challenges. Then, fundamental effects including near field and beam squint in wideband THz systems are analyzed, along with their impacts on system performance. The paper further explores conventional and beam-squint-assisted channel estimation methods, innovative beam management strategies, and deployment considerations across large- and small-scale scenarios. Practical experiments at 220 gigahertz (GHz) validate the effectiveness of IRS in improving signal strength and communication reliability for both single-user and multi-user setups.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_17200
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces for THz Communications: Fundamentals, Key Solutions, and System Prototyping
Wu, Qingqing
Zhu, Yanze
Peng, Qiaoyan
Hao, Wanming
Hou, Yanzhao
Yang, Fengyuan
Yan, Wencai
Wang, Guoning
Chen, Wen
Qiu, Chi
Signal Processing
Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) have emerged as a cost-effective technology for terahertz (THz) communications by enabling programmable control of the wireless environment. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of IRSs-aided THz communications, covering hardware designs, advanced signal processing techniques, and practical deployment strategies. It first examines key THz reconfigurable metasurface architectures, including electronic, optical, phase-change material, and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based implementations, highlighting their reconfiguration mechanisms and challenges. Then, fundamental effects including near field and beam squint in wideband THz systems are analyzed, along with their impacts on system performance. The paper further explores conventional and beam-squint-assisted channel estimation methods, innovative beam management strategies, and deployment considerations across large- and small-scale scenarios. Practical experiments at 220 gigahertz (GHz) validate the effectiveness of IRS in improving signal strength and communication reliability for both single-user and multi-user setups.
title Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces for THz Communications: Fundamentals, Key Solutions, and System Prototyping
topic Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.17200