Polarization-sensitive microelectromechanical systems based tunable terahertz metamaterials using three dimensional electric split-ring resonator arrays

We present the design, simulation, fabrication, and characterization of structurally reconfigurable metamaterials showing terahertz frequency tunability with a polarization-sensitivity. The proposed metamaterial structures employ deformable microelectromechanical system based curved cantilevers for tuning the resonance frequency of the electric split-ring resonators. The resonance frequency is observed to be either tunable or non-tunable with the electric field of the incident wave, which is perpendicular or parallel to the split gap of the electric split-ring resonators. This polarization-sensitive characteristic has been demonstrated by both the electromagnetic simulation and the experimental measurement. The observed polarization-sensitive tunability could be used for the development of polarization sensitive and insensitive THz polarimetric devices. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4803048]