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Prof. Dr. Yuping Zhang

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Guest Editor

Qingdao Key Laboratory of Terahertz Technology, College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
Interests: terahertz; metasurface; absorber; dirac semi-metal; bound states in the continuum

Dr. Meng Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Qingdao Key Laboratory of Terahertz Technology, College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
Interests: terahertz; metasurface; chirality; vanadium dioxide; terahertz time domain spectral system

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Terahertz (THz) metasurfaces, composed of subwavelength metallic or dielectric microstructural arrays with a deep-subwavelength thickness, behave as a novel platform for developing highly efficient and integrated THz functional devices. The development of THz metasurface devices has recently drawn a lot of attention in the fields of THz communication, sensing, display, holographic imaging, non-destructive testing, and electromagnetic cloaking. Various strategies have been proposed and realized to construct novel, efficient, intelligent, and integrable metasurfaces.

This Special Issue, titled “Terahertz Materials and Technologies in Materials Science”, aims to provide a unique international forum for researchers working in THz photonics research and metasurface device development to report their latest endeavors in advancing this field, including the amplitude, phase, and polarization manipulation of THz through the novel microstructural design, the use of various external excitations, and the use of two-dimensional active materials.

Prof. Dr. Yuping Zhang
Dr. Meng Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

terahertz
metasurfaces
light field manipulation
dynamic control
active medium

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 9036 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tunable C₄-Symmetry-Broken Metasurfaces Based on Phase Transition of Vanadium Dioxide (VO₂)

by Yuting Zhang, Xiaoyuan Hao, Xueguang Lu, Meng Liu, Wanxia Huang, Cheng Zhang, Wei Huang, Yi Xu and Wentao Zhang

Materials 2024, 17(6), 1293; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma17061293 - 11 Mar 2024

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Abstract

Coupling is a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in various systems, which profoundly alters the original oscillation state of resonant systems and leads to the unique optical properties of metasurfaces. In this study, we introduce a terahertz (THz) tunable coupling metasurface characterized by a four-fold rotation (C₄) symmetry-breaking structural array achieved through the incorporation of vanadium dioxide (VO₂). This disruption of the C₄ symmetry results in dynamically controlled electromagnetic interactions and couplings between excitation modes. The coupling between new resonant modes modifies the peak of electromagnetic-induced transparency (EIT) within the C₄ symmetric metasurfaces, simulating the mutual interference process between modes. Additionally, breaking the C₄ symmetry enhances the mirror asymmetry, and imparts distinct chiral properties in the far-field during the experimental process. This research demonstrates promising applications in diverse fields, including biological monitoring, light modulation, sensing, and nonlinear enhancement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Terahertz Materials and Technologies in Materials Science)

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Review

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31 pages, 11191 KiB

Open AccessReview

Terahertz Metasurfaces Exploiting the Phase Transition of Vanadium Dioxide

by Meng Liu, Ruxue Wei, Jasmine Taplin and Weili Zhang

Materials 2023, 16(22), 7106; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16227106 - 9 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1131

Abstract

Artificially designed modulators that enable a wealth of freedom in manipulating the terahertz (THz) waves at will are an essential component in THz sources and their widespread applications. Dynamically controlled metasurfaces, being multifunctional, ultrafast, integrable, broadband, high contrasting, and scalable on the operating wavelength, are critical in developing state-of-the-art THz modulators. Recently, external stimuli-triggered THz metasurfaces integrated with functional media have been extensively explored. The vanadium dioxide (VO₂)-based hybrid metasurfaces, as a unique path toward active meta-devices, feature an insulator–metal phase transition under the excitation of heat, electricity, and light, etc. During the phase transition, the optical and electrical properties of the VO₂ film undergo a massive modification with either a boosted or dropped conductivity by more than four orders of magnitude. Being benefited from the phase transition effect, the electromagnetic response of the VO₂-based metasufaces can be actively controlled by applying external excitation. In this review, we present recent advances in dynamically controlled THz metasurfaces exploiting the VO₂ phase transition categorized according to the external stimuli. THz time-domain spectroscopy is introduced as an indispensable platform in the studies of functional VO₂ films. In each type of external excitation, four design strategies are employed to realize external stimuli-triggered VO₂-based THz metasurfaces, including switching the transreflective operation mode, controlling the dielectric environment of metallic microstructures, tailoring the equivalent resonant microstructures, and modifying the electromagnetic properties of the VO₂ unit cells. The microstructures’ design and electromagnetic responses of the resulting active metasurfaces have been systematically demonstrated, with a particular focus on the critical role of the VO₂ films in the dynamic modulation processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Terahertz Materials and Technologies in Materials Science)

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