Abstract: Simultaneously transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (STAR-RISs) have been attracting significant attention in both academia and industry for their advantages of achieving 360° coverage and enhanced degrees-of-freedom. This article first identifies the fundamentals of STAR-RIS, by discussing the hardware models, channel models, and signal models. Then, three representative categorizing approaches for STAR-RISs are introduced from the phase-shift, directional, and energy consumption perspectives. Furthermore, the beamforming design of STAR-RISs is investigated for both independent and coupled phase-shift cases. As a recent advance, a general optimization framework, which has high compatibility and provable optimality regardless of the application scenarios, is proposed. As a further advance, several promising applications are discussed to demonstrate the potential benefits of applying STAR-RISs in sixth-generation wireless communication. Lastly, a few future directions and research opportunities are highlighted.

面向6G的融合透射与反射智能超表面技术：基本原理、最新进展和未来方向

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