Tunable terahertz fishnet metamaterial

Abstract

This paper describes and demonstrates a terahertz (THz) frequency tunable fishnet metamaterial (TFMM) using an electrically controlled polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) matrix. In contrast to other PDLC-based devices, the TFMM employs a novel method for encapsulating PDLC using a thin (1.5 μm) polyimide “skin layer” to form a uniform surface for metal electrodes while minimizing the Fabry-Perot effect of the skin layer on the TFMM measurements. The tunability was verified by measuring the frequency shift in the reflection coefficient (0.01 THz), with an observed minimum negative refractive index of −15 at 0.55 THz.