Microwave Tunable Metamaterial Based on Semiconductor-to-Metal Phase Transition

Guanqiao Zhang; He Ma; Chuwen Lan; Rui Gao; Ji Zhou

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06230-y

Microwave Tunable Metamaterial Based on Semiconductor-to-Metal Phase Transition

Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 18;7(1):5773. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06230-y.

Authors

Guanqiao Zhang¹, He Ma^{2

3}, Chuwen Lan^{1

4}, Rui Gao⁵, Ji Zhou⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
² College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics and Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
⁴ School of Information and Communication Engineering, Laboratory of Network System Architecture and Convergence, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, 100876, China.
⁵ High Temperature Thermochemistry Laboratory, Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0C5, Canada.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. zhouji@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.

Abstract

A microwave tunable metamaterial utilizing the semiconductor-to-metal transition of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) is proposed, experimentally demonstrated and theoretically scrutinized. Basic concept of the design involves the combination of temperature-dependent hysteresis in VO₂ with resonance induced heating, resulting in a nonlinear response to power input. A lithographically prepared gold split-rings resonator (SRR) array deposited with VO₂ thin film is fabricated. Transmission spectra analysis shows a clear manifestation of nonlinearity, involving power-dependence of resonant frequency as well as transmitted intensity at both elevated and room temperature. Simulation performed with CST Microwave Studio conforms with the findings. The concept may find applications in transmission modulation and frequency tuning devices working under microwave frequency bands.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't