Flexible Terahertz Metasurface Absorbers Empowered by Bound States in the Continuum

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 36; no. 40; pp. e2406526 - n/a
• Main Authors: Xu, Guizhen, Xue, Zhanqiang, Fan, Junxing, Lu, Dan, Xing, Hongyang, Shum, Perry Ping, Zhou, Ye, Cong, Longqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Absorbers; Absorptivity; Bandwidths; bound states in the continuum; Coupled modes; flexible metasurface; Lattice vibration; Metasurfaces; Optical properties; Optoelectronic devices; perfect absorption; Photonics; Radar imaging; Radiation; Stealth technology; terahertz photonics; Wireless communications; bound states in the continuum; terahertz photonics; perfect absorption; flexible metasurface
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202406526

Terahertz absorbers are crucial to the cutting‐edge techniques in the next‐generation wireless communications, imaging, sensing, and radar stealth, as they fundamentally determine the performance of detectors and cloaking capabilities. It has long been a pressing task to find absorbers with customizable performance that can adapt to various environments with low cost and great flexibility. Here, perfect absorption empowered by bound states in the continuum (BICs) is demonstrated, allowing for the tailoring of absorption coefficient, bandwidth, and field of view. The one‐port absorbers are interpreted using temporal coupled‐mode theory highlighting the dominant role of BICs in the far‐field radiation properties. Through a thorough investigation of BICs from the perspective of lattice symmetry, the radiation features of three BIC modes are unraveled using both multipolar and topological analysis. The versatile radiation capabilities of BICs provide ample freedom to meet specific requirements of absorbers, including tunable bandwidth, stable performance in a large field of view, and multiband absorption using a thin and flexible film without extreme geometric demands. These findings offer a systematic approach to developing optoelectronic devices and demonstrate the significant potential of BICs for optical and photonic applications, which will stimulate further studies on terahertz photonics and metasurfaces.
This study connects absorbers with bound states in the continuum by systematically exploring radiation properties from a perspective of lattice symmetry. A flexible terahertz absorber is demonstrated with stable and high absorption coefficient covering a large field of view, with tunable bandwidth, and multiband absorption. It would provide valuable insights for terahertz applications in communications, detection, sensing, and imaging.