Tunable broadband THz absorber using vanadium dioxide metamaterials

A tunable broadband terahertz (THz) absorber is designed based on vanadium dioxide metamaterials. Numerical results shown that the bandwidth of absorption rate above 90% is 1.25 THz. The absorption rate can be continuously tuned from 15% to 96%, when vanadium dioxide transits from insulator phase to metal phase. In addition, the absorber has the advantages of polarization insensitive, wide-angle and quick response. May be applied to fields such as THz sensors, detectors and switches.