Characterization of Terahertz Metamaterials Fabricated on Flexible Plastic Films: Toward Fabrication of Bulk Metamaterials in Terahertz Region

Electromagnetic characteristics of a split-ring resonator (SRR) fabricated on flexible thin plastic films are investigated for the purpose of developing three-dimensional (3D) metamaterials in the terahertz region. Both electric and magnetic resonances are observed at frequencies determined by the structural parameters of the SRR. Since the optical path length of the plastic film is smaller than the wavelength of the resonant frequency of metamaterials, the diffraction effect is avoided in a 3D metamaterial. We also observe that each layer functions independently without interlayer interaction, indicating that the properties of the metamaterial are determined only by the unit cell design. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics