Tunable Dual-Broadband Terahertz Absorber with Vanadium Dioxide Metamaterial

A dual broadband terahertz bifunction absorber that can be actively tuned is proposed. The optical properties of the absorber were simulated and numerically calculated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The results show that when the conductivity of vanadium dioxide is less than sigma(0) = 8.5 x 10(3) S/m, the absorptance can be continuously adjusted between 2% and 100%. At vanadium dioxide conductivity greater than sigma(0) = 8.5 x 10(3) S/m, the absorption bandwidth of the absorber can be switched from 3.4 THz and 3.06 THz to 2.83 THz and none, respectively, and the absorptance remains above 90%. This achieves perfect modulation of the absorptance and absorption bandwidth. The physical mechanism of dual-broadband absorptions and perfect absorption is elucidated by impedance matching theory and electric field distribution. In addition, it also has the advantage of being polarization insensitive and maintaining stable absorption at wide angles of oblique incidence. The absorber may have applications in emerging fields such as modulators, stealth and light-guided optical switches.

Automated summary

This article proposed a dual broadband terahertz bifunction absorber that can be actively tuned to achieve perfect modulation of absorptance and absorption bandwidth. It also has the advantages of being polarization insensitive and maintaining stable absorption at wide angles of oblique incidence.