Metamaterial resonator arrays for organic and inorganic compound sensing

Abstract

In this paper, an electromagnetic metamaterial resonator operating in the terahertz frequency range is presented. By arranging the resonator in a planar array, it is possible to use the structure as a sensing device for organic and inorganic compounds. The sensor is designed to detect the presence of a biological compound by permittivity or absorption measurements. The presence of the biological matter modifies the effective permittivity and, thus, the resonant frequency significantly varies. In addition, biological compounds typically exhibit absorption characteristics that depend on the corresponding molecular structure. Therefore, it is necessary to illuminate the material selectively. We show that by employing the selective properties of the metamaterial resonator proposed, it is possible to enhance the sensing performances. The proposed design is suitable to sense the presence of healthy and malignant tissues, with possible applications in food and medical diagnostics. The operation of the sensing device has been demonstrated through proper full-wave simulations.