TERAHERTZ SENSING APPLICATION BY USING FRACTAL GEOMETRIES OF SPLIT-RING RESONATORS

In this study, we report the simulation, fabrication and characterization of a dual-band fractal metamaterial used for terahertz sensing application. By applying the fractal structures of square Sierpinski (SS) curve to the split-ring resonators (SRRs), more compact size and higher sensitivity can be achieved as privileges over conventional SRRs. The influence of different geometrical parameters and the order of the fractal curve on the performances are investigated. Then overlayers are added to the fractal SRRs in order to explore the performance of the entire system in terms of sensing phenomenon. The changes in the transmission resonances are monitored upon variation of the overlayer thickness and permittivity. Measured results show good agreement with simulated data. At the second resonance of the second-order SS-SRRs, maximum frequency shifts of 19.8 GHz, 26.3 GHz and 37.8 GHz were observed for a 2 μm, 4 μm and 10 μm thickness of photoresist. The results show good sensitivity of the sensors suggesting they can be used for a myriad of terahertz sensing applications in biology and chemistry.