Reviews Based on the Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Technical Issues

Abstract

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are programmable metasurface structures that can control the propagation of electromagnetic waves by changing the electrical and magnetic properties of the surface. They can be used to intelligently reconfigure the wireless environment to improve the capacity and coverage of wireless networks. In recent years, numerous theoretical innovations and prototype tests have demonstrated that the RIS has the advantages of low cost, low power consumption, and easy deployment, and creates many potential opportunities and broad application prospects in 5G and future 6G networks. In this paper, starting from the technological development of RISs, we discussed the technical issues of RISs. The standardization of RISs, types of RISs according to operation modes, channel modeling, considerations for hardware implementation, differences from existing communication modules and the need for active RIS implementation, noise and power characteristics to ensure the efficiency of RISs, and performance parameters of RISs and field test results of RISs in indoor and outdoor environments were reviewed. By resolving the current technical issues of RISs, it is expected that RISs will be successfully used for B5G/6G communication through commercialization.