Jihwan Lee (M.S. student) from the Department of Electrical Engineering at POSTECH (advisor: Prof. Wonbin Hong) received the Outstanding Paper Award at the 2025 Summer Conference of the Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science (KIEES) for his paper titled “Holographic Time-Reversal Mirror for Single-Focus Beam Focusing in Non-Line-of-Sight Environments.”

The study addresses the limitations of previous research, which primarily achieved beam focusing through ideal phase mapping under line-of-sight (LOS) conditions. By applying the time-reversal technique to a holographic antenna, the proposed approach enables precise focal beam focusing even in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments.

In particular, the method accurately extracts phase information distorted by obstacles and re-emits the signal through the time-reversal process of electromagnetic waves. This allows the beam to be re-focused at a desired location even in realistic NLOS scenarios.

Furthermore, the study introduces a unit-cell design based on anisotropic tensor structures, enabling continuous adjustment of slit angles and providing flexible polarization control.

Academically, this work presents a new paradigm for beam control in NLOS environments. From an application perspective, the results provide an important foundation for next-generation RF systems, including wireless power transfer, ultra-high-resolution near-field sensing, through-wall imaging, and multi-user MIMO communications. In recognition of these contributions, the paper was selected for the Outstanding Paper Award at the conference.