Multi-Functional Programmable Metasurfaces for 6G and Beyond
2025/12/07 by Gan, Xu, Mu, Xidong, Liu, Yuanwei +5
Engineering · Materials Science · #Advanced Antenna and Metasurface Technologies #Advanced Wireless Communication Technologies #Architecture #Focus (optics) #Key (lock) #Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications #Physical layer #SIGNAL (programming language) #Signal processing #Transceiver #Wireless
paper · open access · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2512.06693
published in arXiv (Cornell University) (Cornell University)
openalex publication_date 2025/12/07 · openalex created_date 2025/12/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract
The sixth-generation and beyond (B6G) networks are envisioned to support advanced applications that demand high-speed communication, high-precision sensing, and high-performance computing. To underpin this multi-functional evolution, energy- and cost-efficient programmable metasurfaces (PMs) have emerged as a promising technology for dynamically manipulating electromagnetic waves. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of representative multi-functional PM paradigms, with a specific focus on achieving full-space communication coverage, ubiquitous sensing, as well as intelligent signal processing and computing. i) For simultaneously transmitting and reflecting surfaces (STARS)-enabled full-space communications, we elaborate on their operational protocols and pivotal applications in supporting efficient communications, physical layer security, unmanned aerial vehicle networks, and wireless power transfer. ii) For PM-underpinned ubiquitous sensing, we formulate the signal models for the PM-assisted architecture and systematically characterize its advantages in near-field and cooperative sensing, while transitioning to the PM-enabled transceiver architecture and demonstrating its superior performance in multi-band operations. iii) For advanced signal processing and computing, we explore the novel paradigm of stacked intelligent metasurfaces (SIMs), investigating their implementation in wave-domain analog processing and over-the-air mathematical computing. Finally, we identify key research challenges and envision future directions for multi-functional PMs towards B6G.
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