EXPERIMENTAL DEMONSTRATION OF METAMATERIAL-BASED PHASE MODULATION

Phase modulation is critical due to its applicability in varied RF devices such as phased array antennas, radars to name a few. In this paper, we report experimental data on phase modulation in the X-band frequency using tunable metamaterials such as a planar design of stacked dual split ring resonators (DSRRs) of 3 mm thickness at 8.5 GHz. Modulation was brought about by switching between the open and closed states of the rings causing a net change in the effective refractive index and thereby producing a phase variation. One and two dimensional free-space scanning experiments were carried out where a phase modulation of 62 degrees was demonstrated. The measured data matched well with the numerically simulated results.