Dual-band Perfect Absorber Research Articles

Design and performance of a dual-band plasmonic perfect absorber for infrared refractive index sensing

In this study, we introduce what we believe is an innovative design for a plasmonic perfect absorber (PPA) that is based on half-cut disk resonator metamaterials. This design exhibits remarkable stability and versatility, demonstrating effective functionality across a wide range of incident angles for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarization. The distinct operational characteristics of the PPA are highlighted by the presence of two corresponding absorption peaks at wavelengths of 870 and 1599 nm, where it achieves outstanding maximum absorption rates of 98.99% and 97.5%, respectively. The design’s ultra-narrow resonance peaks are indicative of its high-quality factors, which are vital for enhancing sensitivity in plasmonic sensory applications. This characteristic renders our PPA an exceptional candidate for refractive index (RI) sensing, where precision is critical. The dual-band perfect absorber (PA)-based sensor demonstrates significant RI sensitivity, with values approximately equal to 365 nm/RIU at the first absorption peak and 733 nm/RIU at the second. Our findings elucidate the exceptional potential inherent in this novel dual-band perfect absorber design. The versatility and efficiency across varied applications not only contribute to the existing body of knowledge but also pave the way for future advancements in plasmonic sensor technologies and metamaterial research.

Multifunctionality in vanadium dioxide-integrated metamaterials for switching between dual-band perfect absorption and asymmetric transmission

In this work, we present a theoretical proposal for an actively tunable metamaterial design that integrates vanadium dioxide (VO2). This VO2-integrated design demonstrates the ability to switch between dual-band perfect absorption and asymmetric transmission (AT) functionalities in the near-infrared and mid-infrared spectral ranges. By utilizing the unique properties of VO2, our proposed device achieves broadband absorption across approximately 2.47 μm with polarization independence when VO2 is in its metallic state. Furthermore, it exhibits narrowband absorption with polarization correlation, reaching a linear dichroism value of approximately 0.704. On the other hand, when VO2 is in its insulating state, the metamaterial structure realizes AT of 0.418 for circularly polarized light. We provide physical insight into the operating mechanisms through impedance matching analysis and electric field distributions. The integration of VO2 in this dynamically tunable, multifunctional metamaterial design offers a novel approach to developing reconfigurable nanophotonic and nanosystem technologies.

Ultra-narrow dual-band perfect absorber based on double-slotted silicon nanodisk arrays

Due to its unique advantage of optical properties, nanophotonic metamaterials have gained extensive applications in perfect absorbers. However, achieving both dual-band and ultra-narrow linewidth in absorbers simultaneously remains a challenge for typical metal-dielectric based metamaterials. In this work, a dual-band ultra-narrow perfect absorber consisting of a double slotted silicon nanodisk array that located on a silver film with a silica spacer layer is proposed theoretically. By combining the hybrid mode excited by the coupling of diffraction wave mode and magnetic dipole mode with the anapole–anapole interaction, two absorption peaks can be induced in the near-infrared regime, achieving nearly perfect absorbance of 99.31% and 99.61%, with ultra-narrow linewidths of 1.92 nm and 1.25 nm respectively. In addition, the dual-band absorption characteristics can be regulated by changing the structural parameters of the as-proposed metamaterials. The as-designed metamaterials can be employed as efficient two-channel refractive index sensors, with sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of 288 nm RIU−1 and 150 RIU−1 for the first band, and sensitivity and FOM of up to 204 nm RIU−1 and 163.2 RIU−1 for the second band. This work not only opens up a new design idea for the realization of dual-band perfect absorber synchronously with ultra-narrow linewidth, but also provides potential attractive candidates for developing dual-frequency channel sensors.

Design and analysis of K and Ku-band wide-angle polarization-insensitive dual-band perfect metamaterial absorber

This paper presents a polarization-insensitive dual-band metamaterial perfect absorber applied to the Ku and K bands. The proposed dual-band metamaterial absorber (MMA) is a three-layer structure of metal-dielectric-metal. The top metal layer consists of a split circle ring, two intersecting square rings, and a circle ring, the bottom metal layer is made of copper, and the middle dielectric layer is made of FR-4. The simulation results show that the MMA has two absorption peaks at frequencies of 12.06 GHz and 19.07 GHz, with absorption rates of 99.95% and 99.73%, respectively. The MMA exhibits good polarization insensitivity in TE and TM modes. In TE mode, the increase in incident angle significantly broadens the absorption bandwidth. The experimental results verified the dual-band perfect absorption of MMA and the incident angle gain characteristic of TE mode. The proposed dual-band MMA can be applied in related fields such as radar antennas, satellite communication, and sensing.

Dual-band high quality-factor perfect absorber based on uniaxial/biaxial anisotropic van der Waals polar crystals

Phonon polaritons (PhPs) in two-dimensional van der Waals crystals, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and α-phase molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3), exhibit remarkable spatial confinement and extremely low optical losses, offering possibilities for the development of novel micro and nanophotonic devices at mid-infrared wavelengths. Here, we demonstrate the potential of the proposed Tamm structure to achieve dual-band high quality-factor perfect absorption within the mid-infrared range. This structure utilizes upper and lower spacer layers to isolate the anisotropic materials hBN and α-MoO3 from one-dimensional photonic crystals, where the Tamm phonon polaritons (TPhPs) are respectively excited at the interfaces, facilitating strong coupling with incident light and leading to significant dual-band perfect absorption phenomena. The results demonstrate that due to polariton resonances, the absorption peaks exhibit extremely narrow absorption bandwidths, with the maximum quality-factor reaching up to 297. In addition, tunable resonant wavelengths and polarization-dependent absorption properties are also demonstrated in the proposed Tamm structure. This study provides an alternative and straightforward approach for constructing dynamic and multifunctional optical devices such as optical modulators, tunable multi-band filters and biosensors.

Dual-band perfect absorption graphene metasurface with high modulation in near-infrared

Graphene has garnered significant attention in tunable metasurfaces due to its unique optical properties. The absorption of the graphene metassurface can be dynamically adjusted by manipulating the chemical potential. However, the working wavelengths of most graphene metasurfaces are limited in terahertz and mid-infrared, or have a low reflection range. In this paper, we design a hybrid graphene metasurface with a slot structure. The working wavelengths are optimized to 1550 nm and 1910 nm. Additionally, the slot structure greatly enhances the field intensity near the monolayer graphene to improve its interaction with light. As a result, perfect absorption is achieved at both working wavelengths, along with a maximum reflection range of 0.9 and a modulation depth of 99%.

Dual-mode switchable metasurface for multi-type OAM vortex beam generation and dual-band perfect absorption in terahertz band

As metasurface technology is developing rapidly in the past decades, multi-operating mode and tunability are evolving into hot spots in its development. In this paper, we present a dual-operating mode metasurface consisting of vanadium dioxide (VO2). At room temperature (25 °C), it operates as a reflection mode. Eight metasurface unit cells with different reflection phases are designed, which can achieve 2π phase coverage in the frequency band of 0.4 THz-0.5 THz. Furthermore, by bringing encoded convolution and superposition theorems into the design of metasurface arrays, vertically incident circularly polarized (CP) waves can be transformed into single-beam, multi-beam, deflected and superimposed orbital angular momentum (OAM) vortex beams, respectively. On the other hand, at high temperature (68 °C), it operates as a dual-band terahertz absorber. It achieves near-perfect absorption at 1.71 THz and 1.87 THz with 99.9% and 98.9%, and also has polarization insensitivity. Therefore, the metasurface designed in this paper has promising applications in future terahertz communications, high-resolution imaging, and electromagnetic stealth.

Dual-band complementary metamaterial perfect absorber for multispectral molecular sensing.

Metamaterial perfect absorbers (MPAs) show great potential in achieving exceptional sensing performance, particularly in the realm of surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. To this aim, it is highly desirable for the localized hotspots to be readily exposed and accessible to analyte with strong mode confinement to enhance absorption. Here, we propose a quasi-three-dimensional MPA based on cross-shaped coupled complementary plasmonic arrays for highly sensitive refractive index sensing and molecular vibrational sensing. Dual-band perfect absorption can be approached with the two plasmonic resonances corresponding to the electric dipole-like mode of cross antenna array and the magnetic dipole-like mode of cross hole array, respectively. Large portions of the electric field of the hotspots are exposed and concentrated in the gap between the elevated cross antenna and its complementary structure on the substrate, leading to improved sensing sensitivities. An ultrathin polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film induces a significant redshift of the magnetic dipole-like mode with an 11.8 nm resonance shift per each nanometer polymer thickness. The value is comparable to the reported sensitivity of single molecule layer sensors. Additionally, the simultaneous detection of the C = O and C-H vibrations of PMMA molecules is enabled with the two plasmonic resonances adjusted by changing the lengths of the two cross branches. Remarkably, the observed mode splitting and anti-crossing behavior imply the strong interaction between plasmonic resonance and molecular vibration. Our dual-band MPA based on coupled complementary plasmonic arrays opens a new avenue for developing highly sensitive sensors for the detection of refractive index and multispectral molecular vibrations.

Dual-band absorption due to simultaneous excitation of TE and TM modes in ITO-ES metamaterial for IR stealth technology

We proposed a plasmonic based Indium Tin Oxide Embedded Silver (ITO-ES) infrared dual-band perfect absorber for the utilization in IR stealth technology. The proposed structure comprised of nano size Ag ring and desk embedded in ITO. The optical losses in optical regime of nanoscale plasmonic Ag were incorporated in terms of collision frequency using the modified Drude model. The optical response of the proposed structure was predicted by exciting it with a planwave using full wave vector frequency domain solver by employing Finite Element Method (FEM) in Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio. The simultaneous excitation of higher order transverse electromagnetic (TE and TM) modes in the proposed structure lead to high values of both absorption and Front to Back ratio (FTBR). The controlled and selective wavelength multiband absorption is crucial for IR stealth technology. The proposed metamaterial structures exhibit dual-bands IR absorption at wavelengths λ = 1.40 μm and 6.4 μm. First absorption peak suppresses the back scattering of the laser used by laser guided devices for detection, while the second peak suppresses the IR signature of the structure due thermal radiation which can be used by tracking devices to detect warm/hot objects.

Tunable narrowband and broadband coexisting absorber enabled by a simple all-metal grating for sensing applications

We realize a tunable narrowband and broadband coexisting absorber based on a simple step-shaped all-metal grating structure. The absorber presents an ultra-narrow absorption band of 1.5 nm and a relatively broad absorption band of 29.8 nm, both with nearly 100% absorption in the infrared region. The mechanism underlying the dual-band perfect absorption is the interaction between two diffraction coupled surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes with one of them modulated by a cavity resonance. Influences of structure parameters on the absorption performance are numerically investigated. It is found that the positions of the two perfect absorption peaks can be easily tuned both independently and together by changing the structural parameters. In addition, the designed grating structure presents excellent sensing performance with sensitivity and figure of merit as high as 2,514 nm/RIU and 1,600 RIU−1, respectively. The excellent sensing performance, flexible tenability and simple structure design endow this grating absorber with great potential in high-precision biochemical sensing applications.

Dual-band plasmonic perfect absorber for refractive index sensing from mid- to near infrared region

A plasmonic perfect absorber (PA) utilizes high absorption of incident radiation and near-field enhancement which is so advantageous for many applications such as solar cell, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and refractive index (RI) sensitivity. In this study, the numerically presented PA system has resonances from mid-infrared (MIR) to near-infrared (NIR) regions for different periodicities at 2.0, 2.4, and 2.8 µm. A fine-tuning mechanism is obtained to control the spectral response of PA through the geometrical parameters. Dual-band plasmonic resonances have nearly 98% absorption. Near-field intensity distributions are shown with the enhancement factor of 103 at the resonance frequencies. Refractive index sensitivity is also analyzed by embedding PA in different cladding mediums to show the sensing performance. Relationship between resonance wavelength and refractive index of the medium is observed for all resonant modes. The highest sensitivity value is 2382.48 nm/RIU and the figure of merit reaches as high as 28.29 RIU−1.

Continuously controlling the phase transition of In3SbTe2 for tunable high quality-factors absorber

Recent progress on metasurface with high quality factors (Q-factors) based absorption of light is promising for optical filtering and sensing. However, most reported metasurface-based absorbers are suffering from limited bandwidth due to the single mode and non-reconfiguration features, which have greatly restricted their practical applications. Herein, we propose a tunable absorber with high Q-factors combined with the phase-change materials (PCM) In3SbTe2 (IST), whose optical properties can change from dielectric to metallic upon crystallization in the whole infrared spectral range. Moreover, we investigate the dual-band resonant modes separately. The Q-factors of the proposed dual-band perfect absorber are both greater than 1200 when the IST is amorphous state, which can be attributed to the low radiative loss of the guide-mode resonances and low intrinsic loss of the constituent materials. Hence, the proposed high Q-factors absorber is the best candidate for a sensitive refractive index sensor since its corresponding absorption spectrum changes significantly with the slight change of the refractive index of surrounding mediums. Our dual-band sensor scheme shows extreme spectral sensitivity with respect to the refractive index change to be 185.2 nm/RIU and 57.2 nm/RIU with a figure of merit of 84.2 and 22.9, respectively. Furthermore, by controlling the phase transition in IST, we further proved that the proposed absorber can be modulated continuously due to the non-volatile property of IST. Overall, the proposed dual-band absorber provides an alternative and simple pathway for the construction of dynamic and multifunctional optical devices, such as optical modulators, tunable multiband filters and biochemical sensors.

Investigation of anisotropic absorption in the hybrid L-shaped graphene-black phosphorene structure

In this work, we propose a dual-band absorber in the infrared spectral region based on the periodic L-shaped graphene-black phosphorene (BP) structure. Strong and anisotropic plasmonic response were achieved by merging the benefits of isotropic plasmonic response of graphene and the anisotropic one of BP in the wavelength range of 8–22 μm for both TE and TM polarizations. According to our numerical simulations, for TE-polarization, two absorption peaks are observed in the proposed structure, approaching 98% and 99% at 8.38 μm and 15.13 μm, respectively. For TM-polarization, both absorption peaks are located at 8.52 μm and 15.54 μm, approaching 99%; a manifestation of redshift compared with TE-polarization. Furthermore, the absorption peaks can be tuned by changing the doping levels of graphene and BP layers, as well as the geometrical parameters of our absorber. This ability is well-matched for wavelength a selective sensing application that uses refractive index variations. The sensitivity of the first and the second absorption peak of our proposed device are obtained as 2.93 (3.27) μ m R I U and 6.18 (6.42) μ m R I U for TE (TM) polarization, respectively. One can conclude that this hybrid graphene-BP based tunable dual-band proposed absorber with its outstanding characterizations possesses potentials applications in sensors and reflective polarizers. graphene, black phosphorene, infrared, sensor, plasmonics. • A hybrid graphene-phosphorene structure has been designed as a dual-band perfect absorber. • Isotropic and anisotropic optical properties of, respectively, graphene and phosphorene has been combined. • The absorption peaks can be tuned by doping levels e geometrical parameters. • The device is well-matched for wavelength selective sensing applications for refractive index.

An active tunable terahertz functional metamaterial based on hybrid-graphene vanadium dioxide.

In this paper, we propose a switchable and tunable functional metamaterial device based on hybrid graphene-vanadium dioxide (VO2). Using the properties of the metal-insulator transition in VO2, the proposed metamaterials can enable switching between tunable circular dichroism (CD) and dual-band perfect absorption in the terahertz region. When VO2 is in the insulator state, a polarization-selective single-band perfect absorption can be achieved for circularly polarized waves, thus resulting in a strong CD response with a maximum value of 0.84. When VO2 acts as a metal, there is a tunable dual-band perfect absorption for the designed metamaterial device under the illumination of x-polarization waves. The operation mechanism behind the phenomena can be explained by utilizing the electric field distribution and the coupled mode theory. Moreover, the influences of the Fermi energy of graphene and geometrical parameters on the CD and absorption spectra are discussed in detail. Our proposed switchable and tunable metamaterial can provide a platform for designing versatile functional devices in the terahertz region.

A high Q-factor dual-band terahertz metamaterial absorber and its sensing characteristics.

In this paper, a dual-band metamaterial absorber in the terahertz frequencies is proposed and its refractive index sensing characteristics is analyzed. The metamaterial structure is designed using a square metal ring with four T-shaped strips loaded outside of the ring, where the metal periodic array is on top of a silicon wafer backed with a metal ground plane. The resonant frequencies of the absorber are at 0.89 and 1.36 THz, whose absorption rates are both over 99% under normal TE and TM polarized incidences. The full widths at half maximum of them are 4.4 and 11.2 GHz, respectively, resulting in high quality factors (Q-factors) for these two frequency bands. The absorption rate of the absorber remains stable as the incident and polarized angles are changed. Several proposed metamaterial absorbers are experimentally fabricated and electron beam lithography (EBL) technology is employed. Good measurement results of the dual-band absorption performance are obtained using a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system based on photoconductive antennas. Furthermore, the metamaterial absorber also shows sensing properties for analytes with different refractive indices or thicknesses. This work provides a new choice for the design of high-Q dual-band terahertz metamaterial absorbers and their application to refractive index sensing.

Dual-band wide-angle perfect absorber based on the relative displacement of graphene nanoribbons in the mid-infrared range.

In this paper, a novel graphene-based dual-band perfect electromagnetic absorber operating in the mid-infrared regime has been proposed. The absorber has a periodic structure which its unit cell consists of a sliver substrate and two graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) of equal width separated with a dielectric spacer. Two distinct absorption peaks at 10 and 11.33 µm with absorption of 99.68% and 99.31%, respectively have been achieved due to a lateral displacement of the GNRs. Since graphene surface conductivity is tunable, the absorption performance can be tuned independently for each resonance by adjusting the chemical potential of GNRs. Also, it has been proved that performance of the proposed absorber is independent of the incident angle and its operation is satisfactory when the incident angle varies from normal to ±75°. To simulate and analyze the spectral behavior of the designed absorber, the semi-analytical method of lines (MoL) has been extended. Also, the finite element method (FEM) has been applied in order to validate and confirm the results.

Dual-band perfect graphene absorber with an all-dielectric zero-contrast grating-based resonant cavity

We proposed an all-dielectric resonant cavity based on a zero-contrast grating (ZCG), enabling the perfect absorption of monolayer graphene at the wavelength of 1550 nm band. The mechanism of dual-band perfect absorption, which is verified by the coupled-mode theory (CMT), can be attributed to the critical coupling of Fabry–Perot cavity resonance and guided-mode resonance (GMR) in the ZCG-based cavity. The absorption peaks can be tuned by tailoring the structural parameters, such as the thickness of the waveguide layer in the ZCG, and the cavity length. Interestingly, we find that the critical coupling of the system can be robustly controlled by changing the grating thickness and grating period of ZCG. The proposed structure has potential application prospects for high-performance graphene-based optoelectronic devices.

Dual-controlled tunable dual-band and ultra-broadband coherent perfect absorber in the THz range.

This paper proposes a vanadium dioxide metamaterial-based tunable, polarization-independent coherent perfect absorber (CPA) in the terahertz frequency range. The designed CPA demonstrates intelligent reconfigurable switch modulation from an ultra-broadband absorber mode to a dual-band absorber mode via the thermally controlled of VO2. The mode of ultra-broadband absorber is realized when the conductivity of VO2 reaches 11850 S/m via controlling its temperature around T = 328 K. In this mode, the CPA demonstrates more than 90% absorption efficiency within the ultra-wide frequency band that extends from 0.1 THz to 10.8 THz. As the conductivity of VO2 reaches 2×105 S/m (T = 340 K), the CPA switches to a dual-band absorber mode where a relatively high absorption efficiency of 98% and 99.7% is detected at frequencies of 4.5 THz and 9.8 THz, respectively. Additionally, using phase modulation of the incident light, the proposed CPA can regulate the absorption efficiency, which can be intelligently controlled from perfect absorption to high pass-through transmission. Owing to the ability of the proposed CPA to intelligently control the performance of light, this study can contribute towards enhancing the performance of stealth devices, all-optical switches and coherent photodetectors.

Dual-band tunable terahertz perfect absorber based on all-dielectric InSb resonator structure for sensing application

A dual-band terahertz (THz) perfect absorber (PA) based on the all-dielectric metamaterial (MM) composed of the vertical-square-split-ring (VSSR) structure InSb array was proposed and investigated numerically. Simulation results show that the absorbance of the proposed PA under room temperature T = 295 K is up to 99.9% and 99.8% at 1.265 THz and 1.436 THz, respectively, which is consistent well with the fitting results of coupling mode theory (CMT). According to the simulated electric field and power loss density distributions, the perfect absorption results from the excitation of the first- and second-order plasmonic resonance mode. Further results show that the designed PA is polarization-insensitive due to the high geometric rotational symmetry, and wide-angle absorption can be achieved for transverse magnetic (TM) waves. The geometric parameters of the VSSR structure InSb and the external environment temperature can be changed to adjust the resonance absorption properties of the designed dual-band PA. The dual-band PA can be functioned as a temperature sensor with a sensitivity of about 5.9 GHz/K and 6.4 GHz/K, respectively. Furthermore, the dual-band PA under T = 295 K also can be served as a refractive index sensor with a sensitivity of about 1.3 THz/RIU and 1.0 THz/RIU, respectively. Due to its excellent properties including simple design, easy fabrication, polarization-insensitive and perfect absorption, the proposed dual-band PA may find many potential applications in detecting, imaging, and sensing in the THz region.

Design of tunable dual-band terahertz perfect absorber base on graphene

In this paper, a novel tunable dual-band graphene-based perfect absorber which features a three-layer structure consisting of a monolayer graphene sheet and a metallic mirror separated by a thin Si layer with circular microcavity array is designed and systematically investigated. The simulation results show that the two perfect absorption peaks (99.7% and 99.5%) are achieved at 4.13 and 4.38 THz. The two resonance modes are caused by different electric and magnetic field distributions, resulting in different tuning properties. The absorption peaks could be tuned by adjusting the chemical potential of the monolayer graphene. In addition, the influences of the structural parameters such as period, thickness of the Si layer, depth and radius of the circular microcavity on the absorption characteristics of the absorber have been studied and presented.