On the miniaturization of polarization insensitive wide angle metamaterial absorber

Abstract

We present the design, fabrication and measurement of a perfect miniaturized planar metamaterial absorber based on folded-line structure. The absorber is polarization insensitive, and the absorption remains high even at large incident angles. The simulated and experimental results validate that the ratio between period (p) and resonant wavelength (λ) approaches 1/12 at 1.93 GHz. Surface current distributions and energy flow distributions demonstrate that the folded lines, where the absorbing intensity is strongest, play an important role in both perfect absorption and miniaturization design. The ratio p/λ of the absorber has been further optimized to 1/21 at 550 MHz by increasing the number of folded lines. Besides, a smaller ratio of 1/25 is acquired at 9.6 THz by reducing the dimensions of the structure to nanoscale with careful optimization. This introduced folded-line structure successfully enhances the equivalent inductance and capacitance in a limited volume which has great impact on the design of devices with small size and integration. The proposed metamaterial absorber also has potential applications in wireless communication and optical devices.