Graphene-based reconfigurable leaky-wave antennas for THz applications

An extensive analysis of tunable graphene-based open planar structures suitable for THz frequencies is presented. The dispersion curves of the modes supported by a dielectric substrate loaded with a thin layer of biased graphene are analyzed for different values of the bias. The analysis has shown that both surface and leaky waves as well as surface plasmon polariton modes, can propagate in such a structure. In particular, the fundamental leaky modes achieve very interesting profiles in terms of radiation properties, for feasible values of the bias. Then, a more realistic investigation has been performed taking into account the effect of both dielectric and ohmic losses as well as a spatially dispersive model of graphene. The final results show very attractive features for such leaky-wave structures in terms of reconfigurable radiation patterns in the THz range.