Abstract:
Metasurfaces play an important role in controlling the amplitude, phase, polarization, and complex wavefront of electromagnetic waves. Dynamic tunable devices can be realized by combining various active modulation means. However, most of the existing reconfigurable devices have volatile properties that require a constant stimulus to maintain. The chalcogenide phase-change material Ge
2Sb
2Te
5 (GST) has the characteristics of non-volatility, reconfigurability, and large optical contrast, which can be used to achieve tunable metasurface devices. In this review, we review the recent research progress of GST-based terahertz (THz) metasurface devices and introduce the spectral characteristics and reversible phase transition conditions of GST in the THz band. Furthermore, we systematically summarizes the relevant works on non-volatile, reconfigurable, and multi-level manipulation of THz amplitude, polarization, and wavefront by combining GST with metasurfaces. Finally, the future development prospects and challenges are discussed. The non-volatile nature of GST provides a new path to achieve non-volatile reconfigurable THz devices with low energy consumption, while its ultra-fast volatility can be used for next-generation high-speed communication.