Catching the 6G Wave by Using Metamaterials

The diverse and stringent requirements of 6G networks, detailed in the present book, give rise to fully flexible, end‐to‐end, software‐defined network paradigm, where every part of the network can be configured and controlled via software. However, the wireless environment per se – i.e. the wireless medium or channel – is generally assumed uncontrollable, thus, imposing inherent limitations to 6G networks, that arise by the very nature of wireless operation. To this end, the emergence of the newly introduced concept of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) challenges the fundamental status quo that the wireless environment is fixed by nature, paving the way for the realization of end‐to‐end fully reconfigurable 6G networks.RISs are network devices that can control and manipulate the radio waves traversing through the wireless channel. Since RISs reside within the wireless channel and not at the communication endpoints, they can control the wireless channels from within. In this context, the present chapter introduces the concept of RISs within the 6G framework, elaborating on their advantages and limitations. RISs are then compared with other transmission technologies, e.g. phased arrays, multi‐antenna transmitters, and relays, while demonstrating the trade‐offs governing their operation and applicability. Subsequently, the different types of RIS implementations are presented from a theoretical standpoint, along the available prototypes in the literature; thus, demonstrating how the RIS technology is already a reality, ushering wireless networks into the 6G era.