Elastomeric silicone substrates for terahertz fishnet metamaterials

In this work, we characterize the electromagnetic properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and use this as a free-standing substrate for the realization of flexible fishnet metamaterials at terahertz frequencies. Across the 0.2-2.5 THz band, the refractive index and absorption coefficient of PDMS are estimated as 1.55 and 0-22 cm(-1), respectively. Electromagnetic modeling, multi-layer flexible electronics microfabrication, and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy are used in the design, fabrication, and characterization of the metamaterials, respectively. The properties of PDMS add a degree of freedom to terahertz metamaterials, with the potential for tuning by elastic deformation or integrated microfluidics. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3665180]