Engineering Metamaterials

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 February 2020) | Viewed by 32049

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Instituto de Telecomunicações and Departamento de Eletrónica, Telecomunicações e Informática Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: electromagnetics of complex media and metamaterials; metamaterials with pronounced spatial dispersion; negative refraction and subwavelength imaging; quantum-electromagnetic effects in metamaterials; super-Planckian radiative heat transfer in metamaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A couple of decades have passed since the advent of electromagnetic metamaterials. Although the research on artificial microwave materials dates back to the middle of the 20th century, the most prominent development in the electromagnetics of artificial media has happened in the new millennium. In the last decade, the electromagnetics of one-, two-, and three-dimensional metamaterials acquired robust characterization and design tools. Novel fabrication techniques have been developed. Many exotic effects involving metamaterials and metasurfaces, which initially belonged in a scientist’s lab, are now well understood by practicing engineers. Therefore, it is time for the metamaterial concepts to become a designer’s tools of choice in the landscape of electronics, microwaves, and photonics.

This Special Issue on “Engineering Metamaterials” focuses on the theory and applications of electromagnetic metamaterials, metasurfaces, and metamaterial transmission lines as the building blocks of present-day and future electronic, photonic, and microwave devices.

Submissions are invited on topics including, but not limited to:

  • Active, smart, and controllable metamaterials,
  • Metamaterials for green energy,
  • Metamaterials for radiative heat transfer,
  • Metamaterials for biomedical applications,
  • Fractal and topological metamaterials,
  • Metamaterials for absorbers and energy harvesters,
  • Metamaterial antennas and sensors,
  • Metamaterials for wave front and polarization control,
  • Metamaterial waveguides and transmission lines,
  • Metamaterial-inspired filters, phase shifters and delay lines.

The Special Issue Best Paper Award (300 CHF, a certificate, and a free publication opportunity for the author’s next submission to Electronics) will be selected from this Special Issue by an evaluation panel consisting of the editors and leading experts in the field.

Dr. Stanislav Maslovski
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 174 KiB  
Editorial
Engineering Metamaterials: Present and Future
by Stanislav Maslovski
Electronics 2020, 9(6), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9060932 - 4 Jun 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2142
Abstract
A couple of decades have passed since the advent of electromagnetic metamaterials [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

10 pages, 2789 KiB  
Article
Two-Bit Terahertz Encoder Realized by Graphene-Based Metamaterials
by Shan Yin, Xintong Shi, Wei Huang, Wentao Zhang, Fangrong Hu, Zujun Qin and Xianming Xiong
Electronics 2019, 8(12), 1528; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8121528 - 12 Dec 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3228
Abstract
Terahertz (THz) technologies have achieved great progress in the past few decades. Developing active devices to control the THz waves is the frontier of THz applications. In this paper, a new scheme of two-bit THz encoder is proposed. Different from the present THz [...] Read more.
Terahertz (THz) technologies have achieved great progress in the past few decades. Developing active devices to control the THz waves is the frontier of THz applications. In this paper, a new scheme of two-bit THz encoder is proposed. Different from the present THz modulators whose spectra at different bands are varied simultaneously, our encoder can realize the individually efficient modulation of every channel. The encoder comprises the double-sided graphene-based metamaterials, in which the graphene structures on each side are connected to the external electrodes individually. The well-designed metamaterials on the front and back sides determine the resonances at two different bands (0.20 THz and 0.33 THz) separately. Through simulating the performance of this device by changing the conductivities of the graphene on each side independently, we demonstrate two-bit encoding realized by the dual-band modulation of transmission amplitude with electronic control, and the modulation depth can reach as high as 79.6%. Our encoder can promote the development of multifunctional and integrated devices, such as frequency division multiplexers and logical circuitry, which will contribute to THz communications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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13 pages, 4147 KiB  
Article
Microfluidic Sensor Based on Composite Left-Right Handed Transmission Line
by Vasa Radonić, Slobodan Birgermajer, Ivana Podunavac, Mila Djisalov, Ivana Gadjanski and Goran Kitić
Electronics 2019, 8(12), 1475; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8121475 - 4 Dec 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3797
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a novel metamaterial-based microfluidic sensor that permits the monitoring of properties of the fluid flowing in the microfluidic reservoir embedded between the composite left–right handed (CLRH) microstrip line and the ground plane. The sensor’s working principle is based [...] Read more.
In this paper, we propose a novel metamaterial-based microfluidic sensor that permits the monitoring of properties of the fluid flowing in the microfluidic reservoir embedded between the composite left–right handed (CLRH) microstrip line and the ground plane. The sensor’s working principle is based on the phase shift measurement of the two signals, the referent one that is guided through conventional microstrip line and measurement signal guided through the CLRH line. At the operating frequency of 1.275 GHz, the CLRH line supports electromagnetic waves with group and phase velocities that are antiparallel, and therefore the phase “advance” occurs in the case of CLRH line, while phase delay arises in the right-handed (RH) frequency band. The change of the fluid’s properties that flow in the microfluidic reservoir causes the change of effective permittivity of the microstrip substrate, and subsequently the phase velocity changes, as well as the phase shift. This effect was used in the design of the microfluidic sensor for the measurement of characteristics of the fluid that flows in the microfluidic reservoir placed under the CLRH line. The complete measurement system was developed including the Wilkinson power divider that splits the signal between conventional RH and CLRH section, transmission lines with the microfluidic reservoirs, and a detection circuit for phase shift measurement. Measurement results for different fluids confirm that the proposed sensor is characterized by relatively high sensitivity and good linearity (R2 = 0.94). In this study, the practical application of the proposed sensor is demonstrated for the biomass estimation inside the microfluidic bioreactors, which are used for the cultivation of MRC-5 fibroblasts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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8 pages, 3485 KiB  
Article
A Dual-Band Compact Metamaterial Absorber with Fractal Geometry
by Francesca Venneri, Sandra Costanzo and Antonio Borgia
Electronics 2019, 8(8), 879; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8080879 - 8 Aug 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4571
Abstract
A fractal absorber based on a metamaterial configuration is proposed for dual-frequency operation within the UHF band. The miniaturization skills of the proposed fractal shape are used to design a dual-band metamaterial absorber cell with reduced size (<λ/2 at the two operating frequencies) [...] Read more.
A fractal absorber based on a metamaterial configuration is proposed for dual-frequency operation within the UHF band. The miniaturization skills of the proposed fractal shape are used to design a dual-band metamaterial absorber cell with reduced size (<λ/2 at the two operating frequencies) and a very thin substrate thickness (≅λ/100). A metamaterial absorber panel is realized and experimentally validated. Good agreements between full-wave simulations and measurement results are demonstrated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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13 pages, 5264 KiB  
Article
Dual-Wide-Band Dual Polarization Terahertz Linear to Circular Polarization Converters based on Bi-Layered Transmissive Metasurfaces
by Ayesha Kosar Fahad, Cunjun Ruan and Kanglong Chen
Electronics 2019, 8(8), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8080869 - 6 Aug 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5559
Abstract
Transmissive metasurface-based dual-wide-band dual circular polarized operation is needed to facilitate volume and size reduction along with polarization diversity for future THz wireless communication. In this paper, a novel dual-wide-band THz linear polarization to circular polarization (LP-to-CP) converter is proposed using transmissive metasurfaces. [...] Read more.
Transmissive metasurface-based dual-wide-band dual circular polarized operation is needed to facilitate volume and size reduction along with polarization diversity for future THz wireless communication. In this paper, a novel dual-wide-band THz linear polarization to circular polarization (LP-to-CP) converter is proposed using transmissive metasurfaces. It converts incident X polarized waves into transmitted left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) waves at two frequency bands. The structure consists of bi-layered metasurfaces having an outer conductor square ring and three inner conductor squares diagonally intersecting each other. The proposed converter works equally well with incident Y polarizations. Operational bandwidths for the dual-band LP-to-CP are 1.16 THz to 1.634 THz (34% fractional bandwidth) and 3.935 THz to 5.29 THz (29% fractional bandwidth). The electromagnetic simulation was carried out in two industry-standard software packages, High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) and Computer Simulation Technology (CST), using frequency and time domain solvers respectively. Close agreement between results depicts the validity and reliability of the proposed design. The idea is supported by equivalent circuits and physical mechanisms involved in the dual-wide-band dual polarization operation. The impact of different geometrical parameters of the unit cell on the performance of LP-to-CP operation is also investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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13 pages, 5265 KiB  
Article
Analytical Modeling of Metamaterial Differential Transmission Line Using Corrugated Ground Planes in High-Speed Printed Circuit Boards
by Myunghoi Kim
Electronics 2019, 8(3), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8030299 - 7 Mar 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4078
Abstract
An analytical model for metamaterial differential transmission lines (MTM-DTLs) with a corrugated ground-plane electromagnetic bandgap (CGP-EBG) structure in high-speed printed circuit boards is proposed. The proposed model aims to efficiently and accurately predict the suppression of common-mode noise and differential signal transmission characteristics. [...] Read more.
An analytical model for metamaterial differential transmission lines (MTM-DTLs) with a corrugated ground-plane electromagnetic bandgap (CGP-EBG) structure in high-speed printed circuit boards is proposed. The proposed model aims to efficiently and accurately predict the suppression of common-mode noise and differential signal transmission characteristics. Analytical expressions for the four-port impedance matrix of the CGP-EBG MTM-DTL are derived using coupled-line theory and a segmentation method. Converting the impedance matrix into mixed-mode scattering parameters enables obtaining common-mode noise suppression and differential signal transmission characteristics. The comprehensive evaluations of the CGP-EBG MTM-DTL using the proposed analytical model are also reported, which is validated by comparing mixed-mode scattering parameters Scc21 and Sdd21 with those obtained from full-wave simulations and measurements. The proposed analytical model provides a drastic reduction of computation time and accurate results compared to full-wave simulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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16 pages, 6777 KiB  
Article
Two-Dimensional Imaging of Permittivity Distribution by an Activated Meta-Structure with a Functional Scanning Defect
by Go Itami, Osamu Sakai and Yoshinori Harada
Electronics 2019, 8(2), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8020239 - 20 Feb 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3692
Abstract
A novel 2D imaging method for permittivity imaging using a meta-structure with a functional scanning defect is proposed, working in the millimeter wave-range. The meta-structure we used here is composed of a perforated metal plate with subwavelength-holes and a needle-like conductor that can [...] Read more.
A novel 2D imaging method for permittivity imaging using a meta-structure with a functional scanning defect is proposed, working in the millimeter wave-range. The meta-structure we used here is composed of a perforated metal plate with subwavelength-holes and a needle-like conductor that can scan two-dimensionally just beneath the plate. The metal plate, which is referred to as a metal hole array (MHA) in this study, is known as a structure supporting propagation of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs). High-frequency waves with frequencies higher than microwaves, including SSPPs, have the potential to detect signals from inner parts embedded beneath solid surfaces such as living cells or organs under the skin, without physical invasion, because of the larger skin depth penetration of millimeter wave-bands than optical wave-bands. Focused on activated SSPPs, the localized distortion of SSPP modes on an MHA is used in the proposed method to scan the electromagnetic properties of the MHA with a needle-like conductor (conductive probe), which is a kind of active defect-initiator. To show the validity of the proposed method, electromagnetic analyses of the localized distortions of wave fields were performed, and one- and two-dimensional imaging experiments were conducted with the aim of detecting both conductive and dielectric samples. The analytical results confirmed the localized distortion of the electric field distribution of SSPP modes and also indicated that the proposed method has scanning ability. In experimental studies, the detection of conductive and dielectric samples was successful, where the detected dielectrics contained pseudo-biological materials, with an accuracy on the order of millimeters. Finally, a biomedical diagnosis in the case of a rat lung is demonstrated by using the experimental system. These results indicate that the proposed method may be usable for non-invasive and low-risk biomedical diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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17 pages, 5592 KiB  
Article
Identifying Near-Perfect Tunneling in Discrete Metamaterial Loaded Waveguides
by Kimberley W. Eccleston and Ian G. Platt
Electronics 2019, 8(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8010084 - 11 Jan 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3545
Abstract
Mu-negative and epsilon-negative loaded waveguides taken on their own are nominally cut-off. In ideal circumstances, and when paired in the correct proportions, tunneling will occur. However, due to losses and constraints imposed by finite-sized constituent elements, the ability to experimentally demonstrate tunneling may [...] Read more.
Mu-negative and epsilon-negative loaded waveguides taken on their own are nominally cut-off. In ideal circumstances, and when paired in the correct proportions, tunneling will occur. However, due to losses and constraints imposed by finite-sized constituent elements, the ability to experimentally demonstrate tunneling may be hindered. A tunnel identification method has been developed and demonstrated to reveal tunneling behavior that is otherwise obscured. Using ABCD (voltage-current transmission) matrix formulation, the S-parameters of the mu-negative/epsilon-negative loaded waveguide junction is combined with S-parameters of an epsilon-negative loaded waveguide. The method yields symmetric scattering matrices, which allows the effect of losses to be removed to provide yet clearer identification of tunneling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Metamaterials)
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