Achromatic THz absorption of conductive nanofilms

Abstract

According to the theory, an ultrathin conductive film can achromatically dissipate electromagnetic waves with frequency ranging from radio to terahertz. A moderate absorption effect, which gives rise to a maximal absorbance of 50%, can be found if an impedance matching condition is satisfied. We have experimentally demonstrated the frequency-irrelevant, maximal absorption by employing a conductive nanofilm and launching terahertz waves at Brewster angle when the sheet (square) resistance of the film meets the impedance matching condition. In the entire terahertz spectral range covered by our experiments, the frequency-independent optical properties were consistent with the theoretical calculations.