Terahertz metamaterials application in sensing bacteria and fungi

We fabricated THz metamaterial sensors for sensitive, on-site detection of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria. Strong field localization and enhancement in a gap area enables us to detect the microorganisms with high sensitivity, in aqueous and ambient conditions. The resonant frequency shift is investigated as a function of the dielectric constant and shape of the microorganisms. To optimize microbial sensors, the sensitivity has been studied with respect to substrate dielectric constant and geometrical parameters of the gap structures.