Anisotropic honeycomb stack metamaterials of graphene for ultrawideband terahertz absorption

Abstract

Graphene aerogels have implied great potential for electromagnetic wave absorption. However, the investigation of their design for broadband absorption in the terahertz (THz) range remains insufficient. Here, we propose an anisotropic honeycomb stack metamaterial (AHSM) based on graphene to achieve ultrawideband THz absorption. The absorption mechanism is elucidated using the effective medium method, offering deeper physics insights. At low THz frequencies, the impedance matching from the air to the AHSM can be improved by reducing the chemical potential of graphene for high absorption. There is a suppression of absorption at the intermediate frequencies due to constructive interference, which can be avoided by shortening the sizes of honeycomb edges. With the aim to elevate absorption at high frequencies, one can increase the stack layer number to enhance multiple reflections and destructive interference within the metastructure. Based on the above principles, we design an AHSM that achieves a broadband absorbance of over 90 % from 1 THz to 10 THz. This absorption can tolerate a wide range of incident angles for both TE and TM wave excitations. Our research will provide a theoretical guide to future experimental exploration of graphene aerogels for THz metamaterial absorber applications.

Keywords

• terahertz
• metamaterial
• anisotropic graphene aerogel
• broadband absorption