A Survey on RIS Advances in Terahertz Communications: Emerging Paradigms and Research Frontiers

Manzoor Ahmed; Abdul Wahid; Wali Ullah Khan; Feroz Khan; Asim Ihsan; Zain Ali; Khaled M. Rabie; Thokozani Shongwe; Zhu Han

doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3482564

IEEE Access (Jan 2024)

A Survey on RIS Advances in Terahertz Communications: Emerging Paradigms and Research Frontiers

Manzoor Ahmed,
Abdul Wahid,
Wali Ullah Khan,
Feroz Khan,
Asim Ihsan,
Zain Ali,
Khaled M. Rabie,
Thokozani Shongwe,
Zhu Han

Affiliations

Manzoor Ahmed: ORCiD; School of Computer and Information Science, Institute for AI Industrial Technology Research, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, China
Abdul Wahid: ORCiD; College of Computer Science and Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
Wali Ullah Khan: ORCiD; Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability, and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Feroz Khan: Electronics Engineering Department, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, China
Asim Ihsan: ORCiD; Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K.
Zain Ali: ORCiD; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Khaled M. Rabie: Department of Computer Engineering and Center for Communication Systems and Sensing, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Thokozani Shongwe: ORCiD; Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Zhu Han: ORCiD; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3482564
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12
pp. 173867 – 173901

Abstract

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Communication at terahertz (THz) frequencies has emerged as a potential answer to the challenge of providing massive capacity and ultra-high data speeds for 6G wireless networks. However, THz waves are vulnerable to obstruction because of their attenuation during propagation and poor diffraction. The development of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) technology has shown promise in addressing these issues. The RIS enables the development of smart radio settings with enhanced spectrum coverage and efficiency by regulating the phase shifts of passively reflecting elements. Amidst the vast potential of RIS-based THz communication, a noticeable void exists in comprehensive research, calling for a systematic survey to shed light on its principles, use cases, performance evaluation, challenges, and future trajectories. This review investigates the exciting field of RIS-based THz communication in fifth-generation (B5G), sixth-generation (6G), and beyond. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of this emerging technology, covering a variety of use cases, including channel estimation (CE), coverage, security, sum rate, and energy efficiency. We also investigate resource allocation strategies for THz communication using RIS. Additionally, the performance of RIS-based THz systems with multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) and massive MIMO and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies is analyzed. By analyzing the existing literature, we illuminate the various approaches, methodologies, and future developments in this field. We also emphasize open issues and research opportunities in THz communication based on RIS. This survey is a valuable resource, contributing to understanding the emerging paradigms and research frontiers of RIS-based THz communication.

Published in IEEE Access

ISSN: 2169-3536 (Online)
Publisher: IEEE
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering
Website: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6287639

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