Design of ultra-thin multi-band sub-terahertz metamaterial absorber using three concentric ring resonators with same opening direction

Abstract In this paper, an ultra-thin sub-terahertz multi-band terahertz metamaterial absorber is proposed, its cell consists of three concentric ring resonators with the same opening direction, which can realize three discrete absorption peaks in the sub-terahertz frequency domain. The absorption peaks are mainly formed when the three open circular resonators interact with each other, and the superposition of the three discrete peaks creates a three-band absorption. The physical mechanisms of three-band absorption are illustrated by the electric fields and surface current distributions of three absorption peaks. Adjustment of the absorption effect could be obtained by altering the dimensions of the cleft circular resonator. By fixing the dimensions and changing the opening direction, these resonators will couple to each other and play an important role in regulating the frequency, intensity, and number of absorption peaks. Moreover, the multi-band metamaterial structure could be combined with vanadium dioxide, a phase change material, to actively modulate the absorption. In addition, the three-band metamaterial absorber has the characteristics of polarization-sensitive and wide-angle, which has extensive applications in the domains of security detection, biomedicine and communication.