Key Research Areas

Advances in high-frequency research are proceeding at a rapid pace, promising groundbreaking applications such as telemedicine, autonomous vehicles and connected industry. However, a final network architecture for the new generation has not yet been determined. The biggest technical challenge in implementing 6G is to cope with the elevated free-space attenuation. Since signals in such high frequency bands cannot propagate as far as in mobile technologies up to 5G, 6G signals must be artificially amplified and steered.

One solution that is being discussed as a disruptive technology in the radio frequency research community is Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS). RIS function as adjustable reflectors for high-frequency radiation. By controlling the surface, the angle of incidence of the beams can be individually adjusted. The required reconfigurability is implemented by the hardware. Currently, the CMD Group is working on a RIS for 6G communication networks at 150 GHz as part of the 6G-RIC project.

In the initial project phase, a static prototype of the RIS was developed and implemented on a double-layer PCB. The surface consists of a total of approx. 52,000 patches with a total area of approx. 13 x 13 centimeters. An angle of incidence of 60° was chosen and an angle of reflection of 0° is achieved. The demonstrator is used as a test object to investigate the functionality of the surface, the design workflow and the required infrastructure. Measurements in the radio channel are currently under prepared within the 6G-RIC.