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Updated: Mar 20, 2026
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Simulation, Fabrication and Characterization of THz Metamaterial Absorbers
Published on: December 27, 2012
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A broadband micro-machined far-infrared absorber
E J Wollack1, A M Datesman1, C A Jhabvala1
1NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|June 3, 2016
Summary
Researchers developed a broadband far-infrared meta-material absorber with high absorptance (>0.95) across a wide frequency range (1-20 THz). This meta-material is compatible with silicon technologies and operates across a broad temperature spectrum (5-300 K).
Area of Science:
- Metamaterials
- Far-infrared optics
- Absorber technology
Background:
- Broadband absorbers are crucial for various optical applications.
- Existing far-infrared absorbers often have limitations in bandwidth or operating temperature.
- Meta-materials offer unique electromagnetic properties for novel device designs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate a novel broadband far-infrared meta-material absorber.
- To characterize its absorptance across a wide frequency and temperature range.
- To assess its compatibility with micro-machined technologies.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a meta-material absorber using an array of tapers (≈100 μm length).
- Experimental measurement of absorptance from 1 to 20 THz.
- Testing the absorber's performance across a temperature range of 5-300 K.
Main Results:
- Achieved absorptance greater than 0.95 from 1 to 20 THz.
- Demonstrated consistent performance over a wide temperature range (5-300 K).
- The meta-material's performance showed insensitivity to the detailed geometry of its elements.
Conclusions:
- The developed meta-material absorber exhibits excellent broadband performance in the far-infrared spectrum.
- Its cryogenic compatibility and design flexibility make it suitable for integration with silicon-based micro-machined technologies.
- The experimental results align with theoretical predictions from a transmission line model.
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