Design of a wideband terahertz metamaterial absorber based on Pythagorean-tree fractal geometry

Abstract

Broadband absorption in the terahertz regime is a challenge and onerous to realize with a single layer metasurface. Self-similarity in fractal structures are exploiting metamaterial characteristics that offer a promising platform to design wideband microwave and optical devices. This paper presents a metamaterial absorber that consists of fractal geometry of Pythagorean-tree. The proposed metamaterial absorber demonstrates the wideband absorptivity in a terahertz spectrum ranging from 7.5–10 THz. Both transverse electric (TE)–and transverse magnetic(TM)–mode are taken up under different obliquity incidence angles to deeply study the angular dependence on absorption features of the Pythagorean-tree fractal meta-absorber (PTFMA). A numerical approach of interference theory is employed to verify the simulation results of the designed PTFMA. Further, the performance of the PTFMA was analyzed in terms of the figure of merit (FOM) and operational bandwidth (OBW) for different geometric parameters. Furthermore, surface electric field patterns and current distributions were studied to understand the absorption mechanism of the suggested PTFMA. The designed absorber would be a promising contender for bolometers, THz detection, and communication.