Three-dimensional surface current loops in terahertz responsive microarrays

We investigated the effect of the third dimension in terahertz (THz) responsive microarrays using finite element simulations and by measuring their transmission spectra in the range of 0.2 to 1.1 THz. We observed that the presence of three-dimensional (3D) surface current loops in microarrays composed of cubic units resulted in enhanced transmission as compared to two-dimensional single and stacked layers, suggesting that the incorporation of geometries that enable truly 3D current loops is an important factor in optically responsive metamaterials. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3428657]