Intelligent reflecting surface-assisted terahertz communication towards B5G and 6G: State-of-the-art

After the deployment of 5th generation (5G), the beyond 5G (B5G) and 6th generation (6G) communication grabs the critical attention of academia and researchers. In ongoing cellular generation, the selected radio spectrum (i.e., millimeter waves [mm-Wave]) is unable to achieve the required data rates. Future cellular generations need more data rate and link reliability to serve emerging intelligent applications of B5G and 6G (e.g., autonomous driving, virtual reality, etc.). To handle these limitations of ongoing cellular generation, the researchers are working on key factors to have a smart, high capacity and ultra-reliable propagation environment. To increase the data rate of the B5G and 6G network systems, the terahertz (THz) band is selected. However, to increase link reliability, the intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) have a crucial impact on wireless network environments. Immense work has been done on the performance analysis of IRS-assisted wireless communication networks. This treatise imposes a comparison of such IRS-assisted THz communication systems, and future promising applications.