Wideband Koch Fractal Technique for Intelligent Reflecting Surface Application
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14500/aro.12928Keywords:
Fractal geometry, Intelligent reflecting surface, Koch fractal, Metasurface, Reflection phase, Wideband metasurface, X-bandAbstract
This paper presents a wideband X-band IRS based on a novel combined inward–outward Koch fractal metasurface. The proposed unit cell integrates inward and outward Koch fractal geometries to increase the effective electrical current path and support multiple resonant modes, thereby enhancing the reflection bandwidth while maintaining a compact single-layer structure. A 300 × 300 mm² IRS prototype was designed, fabricated, and experimentally validated. Simulation results demonstrate a reflection phase bandwidth of 2.40 GHz (8.95–11.35 GHz), while measurements confirm a bandwidth of 2.25 GHz (8.90–11.15 GHz), corresponding to a fractional bandwidth of 22.44%. The measured reflection magnitude and phase responses are in good agreement with the simulated results. System-level experiments conducted in a non-line-of-sight environment further demonstrate that the proposed IRS improves the received signal strength by more than 15 dB compared with the case without an IRS, confirming its capability to redirect electromagnetic waves and enhance wireless coverage effectively. The combination of wideband performance, compact single-layer construction, and experimentally verified signal enhancement demonstrates the potential of the proposed combined Koch fractal IRS for next-generation intelligent wireless communication systems.
Downloads
References
Alamzadeh, I., Alexandropoulos, G.C., Shlezinger, N. and Imani, M.F. (2021) 'A reconfigurable intelligent surface with integrated sensing capability', Scientific Reports, 11(1), Article 21837.
Bao, D. and Guo, R. (2025) 'A dual function intelligent reflecting surface in integrated radar communication system', IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 26(3), pp. 3471–3481.
Borgese, M. and Costa, F. (2020) 'A simple equivalent circuit approach for anisotropic frequency selective surfaces and metasurfaces', IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 68(12), pp. 8098–8107.
Cheng, Z., Sun, B., Pan, W., Cui, J., Wu, X. and Luo, X. (2017) 'Dynamical beam manipulation based on 2-bit digitally-controlled coding metasurface', Scientific Reports, 7, Article 42302.
Costa, F. and Borgese, M. (2021) 'Electromagnetic model of reflective intelligent surfaces', IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, 2, pp. 1577–1589.
Dai, Y., Guan, Y.L., Leung, K.K. and Zhang, Y. (2021) 'Reconfigurable intelligent surface for low-latency edge computing in 6G', IEEE Wireless Communications, 28(6), pp. 72–79.
Dewan, R., Rahim, S.K.A., Ausordin, S.F. and Purnamirza, T. (2013) 'The improvement of array antenna performance with the implementation of an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) ground plane and in-phase superstrate', Progress in Electromagnetics Research, 140, pp. 147–167.
Dharmawansa, P., Atapattu, S. and Di Renzo, M. (2021) 'Performance analysis of a two-tile reconfigurable intelligent surface assisted 2 × 2 MIMO system', IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, 10(3), pp. 493–497.
Gros, J.-B., Popov, V., Odit, M.A., Lenets, V. and Lerosey, G. (2021) 'A reconfigurable intelligent surface at mmWave based on a binary phase tunable metasurface', IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, 2, pp. 1055–1064.
Han, D., Wang, P., Ni, W., Wang, W., Zheng, A., Niyato, D. and Al-Dhahir, N. (2024) 'Multi-functional RIS integrated sensing and communications for 6G networks', IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 23(11), pp. 17079–17094.
Huang, C., Zappone, A., Alexandropoulos, G.C., Debbah, M. and Yuen, C. (2019) 'Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for energy efficiency in wireless communication', IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 18(8), pp. 4157–4170.
Karim, M.N.A., Rahim, M.K.A., Majid, H.A., Ayop, O.B., Abu, M. and Zubir, F. (2010) 'Log periodic fractal Koch antenna for UHF band applications', Progress in Electromagnetics Research, 100, pp. 201–218.
Ke, J.C., Dai, J.Y., Chen, M.Z., Wang, L., Zhang, C., Tang, W., Yang, J., Liu, W., Li, X., Lu, Y., Cheng, Q., Jin, S. and Cui, T.J. (2021) 'Linear and nonlinear polarization syntheses and their programmable controls based on anisotropic time-domain digital coding metasurface', Small Structures, 2(1), Article 2000060.
Kobyakov, A. and Zakharian, A.R. (2023) 'Estimate of throughput improvement due to a metasurface reflector in 5G millimeter-wave links', IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 22(3), pp. 636–640.
Lee, J. and Hong, S. (2025) 'Piecewise beam training and channel estimation for RIS-aided near-field communications', IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 24(1), pp. 753–767.
Magbool, A., Kumar, V., Bazzi, A., Flanagan, M.F. and Chafii, M. (2025) 'Multi-functional RIS for a multi-functional system: Integrating sensing, communication, and wireless power transfer', IEEE Network, 39(1), pp. 71–79.
Mandelbrot, B.B. (1982) The Fractal Geometry of Nature. San Francisco, CA: W.H. Freeman and Company.
Pozar, D.M. (2012) Microwave Engineering. 4th edn. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Yaziz, N.S.M., Rahim, M.K.A., Zubir, F. and Samsuri, N.A. (2023) 'A comparison of the bandwidth coverage for different metasurface reflector shapes', in Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC-URSI Radio Science Meeting (AP-S/URSI). Portland, OR, USA: IEEE, pp. 1423–1424.
Zhang, X., [complete remaining authors] (2025) 'PD Koch complementary fractal UHF antenna based on AMC metasurface', Sensors, 25, Article [article number].
Zhu, B.O., Zhao, J. and Feng, Y. (2013) 'Active impedance metasurface with full 360° reflection phase tuning', Scientific Reports, 3, Article 3059.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nur S. Mohd Yaziz, Mohamad Kamal A. Rahim, Farid Zubir, Salah I. Yahya, Noor Asmawati Samsuri, Taufiqqurrachman

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who choose to publish their work with Aro agree to the following terms:
-
Authors retain the copyright to their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. The work is simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0]. This license allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
-
Authors have the freedom to enter into separate agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work. This includes options such as posting it to an institutional repository or publishing it in a book, as long as proper acknowledgement is given to its initial publication in this journal.
-
Authors are encouraged to share and post their work online, including in institutional repositories or on their personal websites, both prior to and during the submission process. This practice can lead to productive exchanges and increase the visibility and citation of the published work.
By agreeing to these terms, authors acknowledge the importance of open access and the benefits it brings to the scholarly community.
Accepted 2026-08-16
Published 2025-09-18








ARO Journal is a scientific, peer-reviewed, periodical, and diamond OAJ that has no APC or ASC.