TE Waves Research Articles

Deep neural network-enabled dual-functional wideband absorbers

The increasing interest in switchable and tunable wideband perfect absorbers for applications such as modulation, energy harvesting, and spectroscopy has significantly driven research efforts. In this study, we present a dual-function terahertz (THz) metamaterial absorber supported by deep neural networks (DNN). This absorber achieves dual-wideband perfect absorption through the use of graphene and vanadium dioxide (VO₂), enabling both switching and tuning functionalities. Simulation results show that, in the insulating phase of VO₂, a high-frequency wideband absorption ranging from 9.31 to 9.77 THz is achieved, with an absorption rate exceeding 90%. In contrast, in the metallic phase of VO₂, a full-band wideband absorption above 90% is observed from 8.44 to 9.75 THz. The corresponding fractional bandwidths are 61.3% and 174.6%, respectively. Additionally, electrical tuning of graphene’s Fermi level from 0.01 to 1 eV enables continuous modulation of absorption intensity between 48 and 100%. The absorber also exhibits polarization insensitivity to TE and TM waves due to its symmetric design and broad incidence angle. This design holds significant potential for various THz applications, including switching, electromagnetic shielding, stealth technology, filtering, and sensing.

A broadband tunable THz sensor based on graphene metasurface

In this paper, we design a polarization-independent and angle-insensitive wideband THz graphene metamaterial sensor. The proposed metasurface sensor consists of six layers, which are silicon dioxide substrate, metal reflector, air layer, graphene metasurface with microstructure, ion-gel layer and silicon dioxide dielectric layer from bottom to top. The sensor was simulated by using CST Microwave Studio software, and the absorption and sensing performance were analyzed. The results show that the absorption rate is more than 95 % in the range of 1.05–4.07 THz. In addition, when the Fermi energy level of graphene is changed, the absorption rate can be adjusted from 20 % to more than 95 %. At the same time, the absorptivity of the device can be maintained above 80 % before 60° when the TE and TM waves are incident, and it is insensitive to the polarization angle due to the central symmetry of the graphene surface microstructure. By changing the thickness of the air layer, the device can achieve maximum absorption at h2=30μm, where the maximum frequency shift sensitivity is 2.179 THz/RIU. The influence of structure parameters and incident angle on the absorption spectrum shows that the proposed structure has good stability. The proposed metasurface sensor has potential application prospects in biological detection and medical monitoring, broadening the application range of THz functional devices.

Study on the Design Method of High-Resolution Volume-Phase Holographic Gratings.

Volume-phase holographic gratings are suitable for use in greenhouse gas detection imaging spectrometers, enabling the detection instruments to achieve high spectral resolution, high signal-to-noise ratios, and high operational efficiency. However, when utilized in the infrared wavelength band with high dispersion requirements, gratings struggle to meet the demands for low polarization sensitivity due to changes in diffraction performance caused by phase delays in the incidence of light waves with distinct polarization states, and current methods for designing bulk-phase holographic gratings require a large number of calculations that complicate the balance of diffraction properties. To overcome this problem, a design method for transmissive bulk-phase holographic gratings is proposed in this study. The proposed method combines two diffraction theories (namely, Kogelnik coupled-wave theory and rigorous coupled-wave theory) and establishes a parameter optimization sequence based on the influence of design parameters on diffraction characteristics. Kogelnik coupled-wave theory is employed to establish the initial Bragg angle range, ensuring that the diffraction efficiency and phase delay of the grating thickness curve meet the requirements for incident light waves in various polarization states. Utilizing rigorous coupled-wave theory, we optimize grating settings based on criteria such as a center wavelength diffraction efficiency greater than 95%, polarization sensitivity less than 10%, maximum bandwidth, and spectral diffraction efficiency exceeding 80%. The ideal grating parameters are ultimately determined, and the manufacturing tolerances for various grating parameters are analyzed. The design results show that the grating stripe frequency is 1067 lines per millimeter, and the diffraction efficiencies of TE and TM waves are 96% and 99.89%, respectively. The diffraction efficiency of unpolarized light is more than 88% over the whole spectral range with an average efficiency of 94.49%, an effective bandwidth of 32 nm, and a polarization sensitivity of less than 7%. These characteristics meet the performance requirements for dispersive elements based on greenhouse gas detection, the spectral resolution of the detection instrument is up to 0.1 nm, and the signal-to-noise ratio and working efficiency are improved by increasing the transmittance of the instrument.

Tunable Polarization-Selective Absorption by Gating Ultrathin TiN Films in the Near-Infrared Region

Ultrathin titanium nitride (TiN) is a novel material platform for constructing active metasurfaces in the near-infrared region (NIR). Here, we realized tunable polarization-selective absorption by gating ultrathin TiN in an Ultrathin TiN Grating Metasurface (UTGM) and a gold resonator/TiN film Hybrid Metasurface (GTHM), respectively. The TM wave absorption (0.96) was much larger than that of the TE wave in the UTGM. When the carrier density decreased by 12%, the near-perfect TM absorption peak blue-shifted by 0.3 μm. Similarly, the linear dichroism (0.96) peak in GTHM blue-shifted by 0.12 μm when gating ultrathin TiN film. Active metasurfaces with tunable polarization-selective absorption have huge potential in dynamic integrated electro-optic devices in NIR.

Design of a multilayer absorber for ultra‐wideband radar cross section reduction

AbstractThis study proposes an ultra‐wideband multilayer absorber by combining frequency selective surface (FSS) and absorbing material. The structure is composed by three layers which are FSS loaded with resistors, absorbing material at the bottom and each layer is separated by air. The FSS in bottom has good absorption performance at high frequency while the upper layer is used to achieve low‐band absorption. To extend the absorption band to the low frequency, it further add a layer of absorbing material at the bottom. Equivalent circuit is employed to analyze the principle of the designed absorber. The simulation results show that an ultra‐wide absorption band from 0.61 to 12.33 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 181% is realized for both TE and TM waves under the normal incidence. Furthermore, the thickness of the structure is only 0.07λL, where λL represents the wavelength of the minimum operating frequency. The designed absorber is fabricated and measured, and the measurement is in good agreement with the simulation.

Polarization-selective terahertz absorber based on square cyclic graphene surface

Graphene-based absorbers are highly valued in terahertz technology due to their efficient performance. In this study, we theoretically propose a tunable, high sensitivity, single-band terahertz perfect absorber with polarization coherence that exhibits stable performance across a broad range of incidence angles. Simulation results show that the absorber's sensitivity to both TM and TE waves can be maintained at about 2 THz/RIU, with optimal values above 13.3 RIU−1 for TM waves and 12.9 RIU−1 for TE waves, and all Q-factors above 52. Furthermore, the impedance matching approach is utilized to explain the mechanism underlying its efficient absorption, and the electric field distribution is used to analyze the polarization coherence phenomena. We also propose a polarization-insensitive hetero-geometric structure based on the original structure, which allows for the separation of the absorption peaks by adjusting the geometrical parameters. These results show that the structure has a wide range of applications in aerospace, communication engineering, and image processing.

Second order frequency selective surface design multi-functional at two bands

This paper proposes an active frequency selective surface which furnishes three bands of higher order filtering characteristics. It controls multi-functional features, at two bands (centered at 2 GHz and 4 GHz), namely electromagnetic response and polarization of plane wave. Nine discrete filtering outputs are independently controlled through switching in bias supply to four PIN diodes embedded in two layers of AFSS unit cell. Two multifunctional bands hold stability upto 45° angles under all polarizations of wave. Passive band at around 5.9 GHz contributed by all the independent binary combinations exhibits stability upto 45° angles of TE wave only. The equivalent circuit method is used to explain and verify the designed structure. Finally, the AFSS structure is fabricated and reliability of the simulation results is verified through experiments.

Revisiting optical absorption power density of inhomogeneous plane waves

We review the analytical expressions for the complex Poynting’s vector in the case of arbitrary plane-waves in a lossy isotropic medium. We demonstrate how these expressions can be used to recover the optical absorption power density Q, considering the divergence of the time-averaged Poynting vector. This quantity, proportional to the imaginary part of the dielectric function and the field intensity, i.e. Q∝|E|2ɛ”, is usually established for harmonic fields, using the Poynting’s identity. The derivation from the complex Poynting vector expression is more direct for TE-polarized homogeneous waves, but the derivation encompasses the other cases like inhomogeneous TM plane waves. As an application, the optical absorption profile Q(x) within 1D multilayers is detailed using matrix transfer method for both TE and TM plane waves, including the evanescent case.

Absorptive frequency-selective transmission/reflection metamaterials with angular-insensitive and switchable octave absorption.

Absorptive frequency-selective transmission/reflection (AFST/AFSR) metamaterials (MMs) embedded with yttrium-iron-garnet are proposed, capable of achieving angular-insensitive and switchable octave absorption. The season optimization algorithm is utilized to optimize the structural parameters of the MM, thus achieving exceptional angular stability. By adjusting the discrete decreasing magnetic field applied to the MM, it can freely switch between double, triple, quadruple, and fivefold octave absorptions. Incorporating reflection layers into two symmetrical AFST MMs, which individually handle electromagnetic waves in forward and backward incidence cases, the Janus feature is realized. This accomplishment led to the achievement of the Janus AFSR MM, enabling angular-insensitive and switchable octave absorption. AFST and AFSR MMs demonstrate stable performance for TE waves under various oblique incidence angles up to 53°. The AFST/AFSR MMs showcase a novel approach to achieving angular-insensitive and switchable octave absorption, and hold significant application value in fields such as electromagnetic computing, RCS reduction, and information processing.

Electromagnetic Imaging of Uniaxial Objects by Two-Step Neural Network

The integration of electromagnetic imaging technology with the Internet of Things plays an important role in fields as diverse as healthcare, geophysics, and industrial diagnostics. This paper presents a novel two-step neural network architecture to solve the electromagnetic imaging for uniaxial objects which can be used in the Internet of Things. We incident TM and TE waves to unknown objects and receive the scattered fields. In order to reduce the training difficulty, we first input the gathered scattered field information into a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) to obtain the preliminary guess. In the second step, we feed the guessed image into the convolutional neural network (CNN) to reconstruct high-resolution images. Our numerical results demonstrate the real-time imaging capability of our proposed two-step method in reconstructing high-contrast scatterers.

Temperature-controlled tunable metamaterial absorber based on vanadium dioxide with ‘switch’ functionality

The performance of traditional absorbers is fixed in a specific frequency or wavelength range, and the actual application often needs to adjust the absorption characteristics according to different scenarios or needs. A THz wave modulator, utilizing temperature-controlled phase change materials, is proposed to address the limitation of absorbers’ inability to adjust to external environments. Tunable absorber is a kind of device with dynamic regulation ability, and its absorption characteristics can be adjusted and optimized according to external conditions. This modulator enables the switch function of metamaterial absorbers, comprising a gold reflector layer, a silicon dioxide depletion layer, and a vanadium dioxide pattern layer. Simulations via finite element method reveal two nearly perfect absorption peaks, up to 99.99%. As temperature rises, absorption rates increase, stabilizing gradually after vanadium dioxide transitions from insulating to metallic phase. With a modulation depth of 98.49%, the absorber achieves adjustability. It enables polarization-independent absorption of electromagnetic waves, exhibiting strong absorption at incident angles from 0° to 50° for TE and TM waves. Leveraging vanadium dioxide’s phase change characteristics, the absorber can switch between ON and OFF states based on temperature changes, promising potential applications in light modulation and THz absorbers.

Scaling behavior of the localization length for TE waves at critical incidence on short-range correlated stratified random media

We theoretically investigate the scaling behavior of the localization length for s-polarized electromagnetic waves incident at a critical angle on stratified random media with short-range correlated disorder. By employing the invariant embedding method, extended to waves in correlated random media, and utilizing the Shapiro–Loginov formula of differentiation, we accurately compute the localization length ξ of s waves incident obliquely on stratified random media that exhibit short-range correlated dichotomous randomness in the dielectric permittivity. The random component of the permittivity is characterized by the disorder strength parameter σ2 and the disorder correlation length lc. Away from the critical angle, ξ depends on these parameters independently. However, precisely at the critical angle, we discover that for waves with wavenumber k, kξ depends on the single parameter klcσ2, satisfying a universal equation kξ≈1.3717klcσ2−1/3 across the entire range of parameter values. Additionally, we find that ξ scales as λ4/3 for the entire range of the wavelength λ, regardless of the values of σ2 and lc. We demonstrate that under sufficiently strong disorder, the scaling behavior of the localization length for all other incident angles converges to that for the critical incidence.

Bi-directional high-performance metamaterial perfect absorber for solar harvesting and refractive index sensing

Metamaterial perfect absorbers have been widely studied due to their potential applications in fields such as sensors, saltwater purification, switching devices, solar energy harvesting and so on. However, it is difficult for absorbers to have both narrowband absorption and broadband absorption. Up to till now, there are few reports on such absorbers. In this paper, we present an absorber that achieves ultra-high performance in an ultra-simple structure, which can attain bifunctional perfect absorption of broadband and narrowband. It consists of a multilayer planar structure with top layer periodically arranged particles. When the light is incident vertically above the surface of the absorber, the proposed absorber exhibits narrow-band absorption with three absorption peaks, among which two absorption peaks have an absorption rate of 99.3 % and 99.9 %, and the full widths at half maximum (FWHM) are 3 nm and 11 nm, respectively. When the light is incident under the surface of the absorber, then the absorber exhibits broad-band absorption, with an average absorption of 97.3 % over a 1500 nm bandwidth (600 nm–2100nm). In addition, the proposed multifunctional perfect absorber has a narrow FWHM and a large broadband absorption range in the same band range. Moreover, the absorber is both polarization-independent and large incident angle-insensitive for both TE and TM-polarized waves. This absorber is of great value in areas such as bio-optical detection and solar energy harvesting.

Tunable High-Sensitivity Four-Frequency Refractive Index Sensor Based on Graphene Metamaterial.

As graphene-related technology advances, the benefits of graphene metamaterials become more apparent. In this study, a surface-isolated exciton-based absorber is built by running relevant simulations on graphene, which can achieve more than 98% perfect absorption at multiple frequencies in the MWIR (MediumWavelength Infra-Red (MWIR) band as compared to the typical absorber. The absorber consists of three layers: the bottom layer is gold, the middle layer is dielectric, and the top layer is patterned with graphene. Tunability was achieved by electrically altering graphene's Fermi energy, hence the position of the absorption peak. The influence of graphene's relaxation time on the sensor is discussed. Due to the symmetry of its structure, different angles of light source incidence have little effect on the absorption rate, leading to polarization insensitivity, especially for TE waves, and this absorber has polarization insensitivity at ultra-wide-angle degrees. The sensor is characterized by its tunability, polarisation insensitivity, and high sensitivity, with a sensitivity of up to 21.60 THz/refractive index unit (RIU). This paper demonstrates the feasibility of the multi-frequency sensor and provides a theoretical basis for the realization of the multi-frequency sensor. This makes it possible to apply it to high-sensitivity sensors.

Design and analysis of a highly uniform five-band terahertz filter based on frequency selective surface

In this paper, a highly uniform five-band terahertz filter is presented, achieved by deforming two nested square ring structures. The metal pattern layer of the filter comprises a nested square ring structure with an inner and outer opening, and a metal strip connecting the inner and outer rings. Symmetrical openings divide nested square rings, breaking the current path and generating multiple metal bars of different lengths to excite dipole oscillations. Using metal strips to connect the inner and outer rings, the inner and outer resonant structures are integrated. Compared to a single resonant particle, the coupling of different single resonant particles amplifies the resonance of the combined structure, resulting in a wider stopband width and enhanced isolation between multiple passbands. A metal strip is also added to both ends of the outer ring opening to increase the equivalent capacitance of the outer ring, enhance the resonance, and improve out-of-band suppression. The transmission spectrum has five uniform passbands in the range of 1.3807–1.9917 THz, and the maximum passband ratio (MPR) of 3 dB bandwidth is about 1.16, and the ratio of 10 dB is about 1.17. The transmission coefficient of transmission zero is about 0.1, and the peak transmission coefficient of transmission peak is close to 1. The polarization of TE and TM incident waves is stable, and the filtering characteristics are good. Besides, the rectangular coefficients of the five passbands are all less than 1.33, showing excellent band selectivity. The resonance mechanism is explained by the Q value and electric field current distribution. The influence of structural parameter changes on filtering characteristics is also analyzed, and the main control parameters are found by using correlation analysis tools. From the changes in the MPR curve, it is verified that the structure parameters of the designed filter are in good condition. The multi-passband filter designed in this paper has uniform filtering characteristics, which is helpful to the development of terahertz multi-channel communication.

Design of a Dual‐Band Waveform‐Selective Metasurface Absorber Based on the Combination of Two Resonator Structures Loaded with Nonlinear Circuits

AbstractIn this paper, a design scheme for a dual‐band waveform‐selective metasurface absorber (MSA) is presented based on the combination of two metal resonator structures loaded with nonlinear circuits. Dual‐band MSAs with four different configurations are constructed by loading capacitor/inductor‐based nonlinear circuits into the gaps of two square‐patch (SP) and two square‐ring (SR) resonators, all of which can achieve selective absorption of short pulses and continuous waves (CWs) at two frequencies independently. As a typical example, the dual‐band MSA with the SP resonator loaded with the inductor‐based nonlinear circuit and the SR resonator loaded with the capacitor‐based nonlinear circuit is systematically studied. First, the selective absorption performance of the dual‐band MSA for CWs and pulses under different input powers is demonstrated. Second, the selective absorption properties of the dual‐band MSA for pulses with different pulse widths are studied. Third, the waveform‐selective absorption characteristics of the dual‐band MSA for oblique TE and TM waves are also illustrated. Finally, the influence of circuit component parameters on the selective absorption properties of pulses and CWs is systematically studied. The proposed dual‐band MSAs have potential application areas such as antenna design, wireless communications, and electromagnetic compatibility.

Graphene-embedded planar and cylindrical Oldenburger–Kolakoski aperiodic photonic crystals

In this paper, we examine the transmission and absorption spectra of light waves in both planar and cylindrical quasiperiodic structures known as Photonic Crystals. In these quasiperiodic multilayers, graphene sheets are inserted between planar and concentric layers of two different dielectric materials (namely TiO2 and SiO2). These structures are called Planar Photonic Crystals (PPCs) and Cylindrical Photonic Crystals (CPCs), respectively. The spatial arrangement of the dielectric layers follows the aperiodic Oldenburger–Kolakoski (O–K) sequence. The transfer matrix method is used to calculate the transmission and absorption spectra of obliquely incident TE and TM waves to investigate the effects of graphene, aperiodic disorder, and incidence angle on the physical behavior of the system. The numerical results reveal that the transmission spectra for cylindrical geometry differ significantly from those for planar geometry, even in the case of a normal incidence angle. Furthermore, the transmission of TM modes is higher than that of TE modes for incidence angles greater than 30°. Finally, we have demonstrated that a substantial number of peaks in the absorption spectra for the CPC case are higher than those for the PPC case, which is a result that may be useful for enhancing the efficiency of optical sensors.

DUAL-BAND BANDSTOP FILTERS BASED ON ULTRA THIN FREQUENCY SELECTIVE SURFACES

In this paper, we present designs for terahertz filters with two independent stopbands based on periodic metallic resonant structures patterned on the dielectric substrate. Two simple and thin structures are proposed to realize required characteristics for single-polarized and dual polarized filter designs. To realize single polarized one, a unit cell of the proposed periodic structure consists of two sets rectangular shape conducting metal patches patterned on the top of the dielectric substrate, and the dual-band response is due the lattice resonances observed in the unit cell. To realize dual polarized filter design, a modified unit cell is considered with additional patches on the bottom of the dielectric substrate. The patches on the bottom layer are the same ones as on the top layer but orthogonally oriented. For this case, polarization-independent frequency response can be obtained after geometric optimization of the unit cell because the top and the bottom layers resonantly interact with only the TE or TM incident plane wave to minimize cross coupling effects between the layers. In order to intensively understand the transmission performance of the proposed filters, a large number of simulations using integral equation method are performed based on the different values for permittivity, period of the unit cell, dielectric thickness, and geometric dimensions. The electric field distributions are analyzed to understand the mechanism of the resonance behavior.

An optimized metastructure switchable between ultra-wideband angle-insensitive absorption and transmissive polarization conversion: a theoretical study.

An optimized metastructure (MS) switchable between ultra-wideband (UWB) angle-insensitive absorption, and transmissive linear-to-circular (LTC) polarization conversion (PC), is proposed, which is a theoretical study. The structural parameters of this MS are optimized by the thermal exchange optimization algorithm. By modulating the chemical potential (μc) of the graphene-based hyperbolic metamaterial embedded in the MS, the MS can achieve UWB absorption in the absorption state and LTC PC in the transmission state. At normal incidence, in the absorption state, the MS exhibits absorptivity exceeding 0.9 within 7-15.45 THz, with a relative bandwidth (RBW) of 75.28%. By elevating μc, an UWB LTC PC is realized, with a RBW of 118.8%, achieving transmittance above 0.9 and the axial ratio below 3 dB. When prioritizing the angular stability, in the absorption state, the MS secures the angular stability of 75° for TE waves and 65° for TM ones. In the transmission state, the angular stability of PC reaches 60°, with RBW = 100.7%. Moreover, by manipulating μc, the tunability of UWB absorption is realized. The optimized MS provides a reference for designing multifunctional intelligent terahertz modulators, with promising application potential in domains like electromagnetic shielding, communication systems, and THz modulation.

Envisioning the future: optically transparent metasurface-based solar thermophotovoltaic with high conversion efficiency

Transparent solar thermo-photovoltaic (TPV) technology combines visible transparency and solar energy conversion. They are developed for their potential applications in buildings and vehicles windows, where conventional opaque solar cells may not be feasible. TPV’s offer a promising solution to harness solar energy without compromising aesthetics or functionality of transparent surfaces. Broadband absorption at UV and IR frequencies and simultaneous transmission at visible frequencies can be achieved by fabricating metamaterials that employ semi-conducting oxides. In this study, an optically transparent metasurface (OTM) based STPV composed of indium tin oxide (ITO) is introduced as the transparent metal and ZnS as a substrate layer. Our design offers a cost-effective and scalable solution for large-scale fabrication. The designed OTM structure exhibits exceptional absorption capabilities, achieving an absorption rate of up to 99% in the UV region. Additionally, it achieves over 90% absorptivity in the far infrared range and maintains a high average transmittance at visible frequencies. Furthermore, the absorption remains consistently high, exceeding 90%, even when the incident angle is less than 70° for both TE and TM polarization waves. This innovative design holds promise for various applications requiring high-performance transparent metasurface absorbers/emitters. The proposed transparent metasurface based STPV holds great potential for efficient utilization in combined solar/thermal conversion systems.