Design and analysis of a multi-band miniaturized metamaterial absorber for wireless communication applications

This article presents a compact metamaterial absorber that operates at hepta-bands within the microwave frequency spectrum exhibiting more than 85% absorption at each band. The design of this absorber is based on the combination of three resonators that offer seven peaks at 3.15, 5.96, 8.73, 9.36, 13.22, 13.71, and 14.45 GHz with an absorption of 93.65, 85.75, 94.14, 99.51, 90.55, 97.87, and 98.68%, respectively. This absorber is characterized by a unit cell of size 0.168 lambda 0 x 0.168 lambda 0 and a thickness of lambda 0/59.5 calculated at 3.15 GHz. The overlap between the absorption bands provided by each resonator gives rise to a wide full wave at half maximum bandwidths of 0.20, 0.19, 0.64, and 2.04 GHz within microwave S, C, X, Ku-bands respectively. All three resonators utilized in designing the structure are symmetrical, which makes this structure insensitive to polarization for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes. To understand the origin of each absorption band, characteristic impedance, surface current, and distribution of the electromagnetic field are analyzed for all the absorption bands. Further, an electrical equivalent model (ECM) diagram is obtained by implying the ADS tool and the results of ECM analysis are compared with the results obtained by HFSS simulator. Finally, the prototype of the suggested design is fabricated and the measured results are compared with the theoretical results, which validates the design approach of this specific metamaterial (MTM)-based absorber model. The prescribed MTM absorber features effective characteristics for sensing and various wireless communication applications in microwave frequency regions.