ABSTRACT

Metamaterials, artificial composite structures with exotic material properties, have

emerged as a new frontier of science involving physics, material science, engineering and
chemistry. Metamaterials are a new kind of artificial media, exhibiting electromagnetic
properties not found in nature. In fact, the word meta comes from the Greek word meaning
beyond. Among them, the class of Left Handed (LH), also known as Double Negative
(DNG) metamaterials shows unusual characteristics such as backward waves, negative
refraction or reverse Doppler effect. This seminar presents the fundamentals of metamaterials:
structure, electromagnetic properties and some applications.

CONTENTS

List of Figures vii
List of Abbreviations viii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Definition of Metamaterials (MTMs) And Left-Handed (LH) MTMs 1
1.2 Theoretical Speculation by Viktor Veselago 2
2 Fundamentals of LH MTMs 4
2.1 Left-Handedness From Maxwells Equations 4
2.2 Reversal of Snells Law: Negative Refraction 5
3 Structure And EM Response 7
3.1 Renewed Interest And Experimental Evidence 7
3.2 Necessary Frequency Dispersion of The Constitutive Parameters 8
3.3 First Experimental LH MTM Prototype 8
4 Transmission Line Metamaterials 13
4.1 Composite Right/Left-Handed (CRLH) MTMs 15
5 Applications of Metamaterials 17
5.1 Filters Using SRR 17
5.2 Diplexers 18
5.3 Couplers 18
5.4 Perfect Lens 19
5.5 Invisibility Cloak 20
6 The Future of MTMs 23
6.1 Tunability 23
6.2 Active MTMs 23
6.3 Use of Different Materials 24
6.4 Rise In Frequency (Nanotechnology). 24
6.5 Full 3D Metamaterials 24
7 Conclusion 25
References 26
List of figures
Fig. 1.1: Permittivity-permeability (e - p) and refractive index diagram (n) 2
Fig. 2.1: RHM-LHM tuple of vector k, E and H 5
Fig. 2.2: Refraction of an electromagnetic wave at the interface between two media 6
Fig. 3.1: First negative-/positive- and positive-/negative- MTM 9
Fig. 3.2: Equivalent circuit models of SRRs 11
Fig. 3.3: First experimental LH structures of TWs and SRRs 11
Fig. 3.4: Transmitted power versus frequency curve of SRR 12
Fig. 4.1: The equivalent circuit of the general transmission line 13
Fig. 4.2: Fundamentals of composite CRLH MTMs 16
Fig. 5.1: Resonance curve for a single SRR 17
Fig. 5.2: Forward and Backward couplers 18
Fig. 5.3: Refraction due to LH and RH medium 19
Fig. 5.4: A simple coordinate transformation 21
Fig. 5.5: A schematic of coordinate transformation & Ray trajectories 21
Fig. 5.6: Two dimensional microwave cloaking structure 22
List of abbreviations
CRLH Composite right/left-handed
LH Left-handed
LHM Left-Handed Materials
LW Leaky-wave
MTM Metamaterial
NRI Negative refractive index
PLH Purely left-handed
PRH Purely right-handed
RH Right-handed
SRR Split-ring resonator
TE Transverse electric
TEM Transverse electric-magnetic
TW Thin-wire
TL Transmission line
TLM Transmission line method
TM Transverse magnetic
ZOR Zeroth-order resonator
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 1 introduces electromagnetic metamaterials (MTMs) and left-handed
(LH) MTMs from a general prospect. Section 1.1 denes them. Section 1.2 presents the
theoretical speculation by Viktor Veselago on the existence of substances with
simultaneously negative and in 1967, which is at the origin of all research on LH
MTMs.
1.1 Definition of metamaterials (MTMs) and left-handed (LH) MTMs
Electromagnetic metamaterials (MTMs) are broadly dened as articial effectively
homogeneous electromagnetic structures with unusual properties not readily available in
nature. An effectively homogeneous structure is a structure whose structural average cell size
p is much smaller than the guided wavelength g . Therefore, this average cell size should
be at least smaller than a quarter of wavelength, p < g /4. The condition p = g /4 is
referred as the effective-homogeneity limit or effective-homogeneity condition, to ensure that
refractive phenomena will dominate over scattering/diffraction phenomena when a wave
propagates inside the MTM medium. If the condition of effective-homogeneity is satised,
the structure behaves as a real material in the sense that electromagnetic waves are essentially
myopic to the lattice and only probe the average, or effective, macroscopic and well-dened
constitutive parameters, which depend on the nature of the unit cell; the structure is thus
electromagnetically uniform along the direction of propagation. The constitutive parameters
are the permittivity and the permeability , which are related to the refractive index n by
where e

and p

are the relative permittivity and permeability related to the free space
permittivity and permeability by
0
= /
r
= 8.854 x 10
12
and
0
= /
r
= 4 x 10
7
,
respectively. The sign for the double-valued square root function has been a priori
admitted for generality.
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The four possible sign combinations in the pair (, ) are (+, +), (+, ), (, +), and (, ),
as illustrated in the diagram of Fig 1.1. Whereas the rst three combinations are well
known in conventional materials, the last one [(, )], with simultaneously negative
permittivity and permeability, corresponds to the new class of left-handed (LH) materials. LH
materials, as a consequence of their double negative parameters, are characterized by
antiparallel phase and group velocities, or negative refractive index (NRI)
LH structures are clearly MTMs, according to the denition given above, since they
are articial (fabricated by human hands), effectively homogeneous (p <
g
/4), and
exhibit highly unusual properties (
r

,
r

< 0). It shoul d be noted that, although the term
MTM has been used most often in reference to LH structures in the literature, MTMs
may encompass a much broader range of structures. However, LH structures have been by far
the most popular of the MTMs, due to their exceptional property of negative refractive index.
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1.2 Theoretical speculation by Viktor Veselago
The history of MTMs started in 1967 with the visionary speculation on the existence of
substances with simultaneously negative values of and (fourth quadrant in Fig 1.1) by
the Russian physicist Viktor Veselago. In his paper, Veselago called these substances LH to
express the fact that they would allow the propagation of electromagnetic waves with the
electric eld, the magnetic eld, and the phase constant vectors building a left-handed triad,
compared with conventional materials where this triad is known to be right-handed.
Several fundamental phenomena occurring in or in association with LH media were predicted
by Veselago:
1. Necessary frequency dispersion of the constitutive parameters.
2. Reversal of Doppler Effect.
3. Reversal of Vavilov-Cerenkov radiation.
4. Reversal of the boundary conditions relating the normal components of the electric
and magnetic elds at the interface between a conventional/right- handed (RH)
medium and a LH medium.
5. Reversal of Snells law.
6. Subsequent negative refraction at the interface between a RH medium and a LH
medium.
7. Transformation of a point source into a point image by a LH slab .
8. Interchange of convergence and divergence effects in convex and concave lenses,
respectively, when the lens is made.
9. Plasmonic expressions of the constitutive parameters in resonant-type LH media.
Veselago concluded his paper by discussing potential real (natural) substances that could
exhibit left-handedness. He suggested that gyrotropic substances possessing plasma and
magnetic properties (pure ferromagnetic metals or semiconductors), in which both and
are tensors (anisotropic structures), could possibly be LH. However, he recognized,
Unfortunately, we do not know of even a single substance which could be isotropic and have
< 0, thereby pointing out how difcult it seemed to realize a practical LH structure. No LH
material was indeed discovered at that time.
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Chapter 2
Fundamentals of LH MTMs
2.1 Left-handedness from Maxwells equations
Four Maxwells equations can explain all electromagnetic phenomena. In order to study
the propagation of waves through various media, four possible solutions to the wave equation
have been considered. The first one is satisfied with and positive, which is the normal
solution. Under this solution, waves propagate. Two other solutions can be those with
different sign of and , i.e., < 0 and > 0 or vice versa. In these cases, waves cannot be
propagated and they are attenuated. Veselago predicted other possible solution with negative
values of and . Under this solution, waves can be propagated, obtaining a considerable
difference in wave propagation.
In the propagation of electromagnetic waves, the direction of energy flow is given by a
right-hand rule, involving E

, E

and S

.
The Maxwells equations for a monochromatic plane wave propagating in an
isotropic, homogenous medium are given by:


From these equations, it can be readily seen that k

, E

and E

form a right-handed
triplet of vectors, as a plane wave propagates in a normal dielectric materials with >0 and
>0. In contrast, these vectors form a left-handed triplet in materials with >0 and >0.
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Moreover, the Poynting vector, defines as S

= E

,is antiparallel to the wave vector k

in
such materials. It is further proved that the phase refractive index given by
must take a negative sign, so that the causality is still conserved.
Due to the aforementioned exotic properties, materials with simultaneous negative
permittivity and permeability are called left-handed materials(LHMs), or negative-Index
materials(NIMs).
Negative-index materials give rise to a host of counterintuitive phenomena as
Veselago discussed in his seminal paper such as reversal of Snells law, reversal of Doppler
Effect and reversal of Vavilov-Cerenkov radiation.
2.2 Reversal of Snells law: negative refraction
It was undoubtedly the concept of negative refraction that brought metamaterials to
prominence. Seriously studied for the first time by Veselago, negative refraction is achieved
when at the same frequency,
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Using Maxwells equations to calculate the refractive index gives,
and conventional materials take the positive sign. Veselago showed that, if condition (1) is
met, the negative sign for n is the one that satisfies causality.
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Chapter 3
Structure and EM response
3.1 Renewed interest and experimental evidence
It was in 1968 Victor Veselago, a Russian physicist, examined the characteristics of
electromagnetic wave propagation in a theoretical medium with simultaneous negative
electric Permittivity and magnetic permeability . Although he was aware of the
inexistence, by the time, of such media, he discussed its feasibility, having into account the
frequency dispersive behavior of both permittivity and permeability, allowing then frequency
bands where negative values of and could be reached. The work derives a negative phase
velocity (backward waves) while the group velocity is still positive, according to the causality
principle; and a negative refractive index, giving rise to negative refraction, as follows from
Snells law.
After the work of Veselago was published, the problem of LH media was almost
forgotten for nearly 30 years. The main reason was aforementioned unachievability of such
media. The return of artificial media theory came in 1992, when Mamdouh et al. proposed an
omega particle as a unit cell of artificial chiral medium. Unfortunately the authors did not
realize that such medium can also embody negative permittivity and permeability. In those
years also the interest in the Veselago's work was risen, mainly in the publications written by
J. B. Pendry et al. The first publication showed how to make negative permittivity medium at
microwave frequencies. For this purpose the 2D matrix of thin wires "wire medium", which
simulates Plasmon behaviour of metals on optical frequencies, was proposed. In the following
paper the Pendry's working group extended this idea to the 3D wire net, by which the
isotropic behaviour was achieved. The negative permeability was however still unknown.
That was published in the year 1999. In this, probably the most important publication in
metamaterials, the proposal of a small resonant particle; the split ring resonator (SRR), the
basic constituent of artificial negative permeability media, was described.
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3.2 Necessary frequency dispersion of the constitutive parameters
A frequency-dispersive or simply dispersive medium is a medium in which the
propagation constant () is a nonlinear function of frequency, which results in frequency-
dependent group velocity and leads to distortion of modulated signals. This implies that either

r
or
r
(or both) have to be functions of frequency.
In his seminal paper, Veselago concluded that simultaneous values of and can be
realized only when there is frequency dispersion. In fact, it can be seen from the relation
that when there is no frequency dispersion nor absorption we cannot have <0 and <0, since
in that case the total energy would be negative. When there is a frequency dispersion,
however, the relation must be replaced by
Eqs. (3,1) are the general entropy conditions for the constitutive parameters. These entropy
conditions show that simultaneously negative and are physically impossible in a non-
dispersive medium since they would violate the law of entropy. They also show that, in
contrast in a dispersive medium, simultaneously negative and are allowed, as long as the
frequency dependent and satisfy the conditions of Eqs. (3.1). For this to be achieved, and
must be positive in some parts of their spectrum, to compensate for the negative parts,
which shows that a LH medium is necessarily dispersive.
3.3 First experimental LH MTM prototype
After Veselagos paper, more than 30 years elapsed until the rst LH material was
conceived and demonstrated experimentally. This LH material was not a natural
substance, as expected by Veselago, but an articial effectively homogeneous structure
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(i.e., a MTM), which was proposed by Smith and colleagues at University of California,
San Diego (UCSD). This structure was inspired by the pioneering works of Pendry at
Imperial College, London. Pendry introduced the plasmonic-type negative-/positive- and
positive-/negative- structures shown in Fig 3.1, which can be designed to have their
plasmonic frequency in the microwave range. Both of these structures have an average cell
size p much smaller than the guided wavelength
g (
p
g)
and are therefore effectively
homogeneous structures, or MTMs.
The negative-/positive- MTM is the metal thin-wire (TW) structure shown in Fig
3.1(a). If the excitation electric eld E is parallel to the axis of the wires (E z), so as to induce
a current along them and generate equivalent electric dipole moments, this MTM exhibits a
plasmonic-type permittivity frequency function of the form.
where
p
is the plasma frequency is the electric plasma frequency, tunable in the GHz
range, and is the damping factor related to material losses.
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It clearly appears in this formula that
which reduces if = 0 to ,
On the other hand, permeability is simply =
0
, since no magnetic material is present
and no magnetic dipole moment is generated. It should be noted that the wires are
assumed to be much longer than wavelength (theoretically innite), which means that the
wires are excited at frequencies situated far below their rst resonance.
The positive-/negative- MTM is the metal split-ring resonator (SRR) structure

shown in Fig 3.1(b). SRR consists of two concentric rings in general placed on a dielectric
substrate. Both rings have the same width and are separated by the gap. Each ring is also cut
by a gap, width of which is not very important (this gap is usually of size similar to width). If
the excitation magnetic eld H is perpendicular to the plane of the rings (Hy), so as
to induce resonating currents in the loop and generate equivalent magnetic dipole
moments,

this MTM exhibits a plasmonic-type permeability frequency function of the
form
Where F is the geometrical factor,
0m
is the magnetic resonance frequency, tunable in the
GHz range, and is the damping factor related to material losses. It should be noted that
the SRR structure has a magnetic response despite the fact that it does not include
magnetic conducting materials due to the presence of articial magnetic dipole moments
provided by the ring resonators. The above equation reveals that a frequency range can exist
in which Re(r ) < 0 in general ( 0). In the loss-less case ( 0), it appears that
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The equivalent circuit of a SRR is shown in Fig 3.2. In the double ring conguration
[Fig3.2 (a)], capacitive coupling and inductive coupling between the larger and smaller rings
are modeled by a coupling capacitance (Cm) and by a transformer (transforming ratio n),
respectively. In the single ring conguration [Fig 3.2(b)], the circuit model is that of the
simplest RLC resonator with resonant frequency
0
= 1/IC . The double SRR is essentially
equivalent to the single SRR if mutual coupling is weak, because the dimensions of the two
rings are very close to each other, so that L1 L2 L and C1 C2 C, resulting in a
combined resonance frequency close to that of the single SRR with same dimensions but with
a larger magnetic moment due to higher current density.
In 2000, Smith et al. combined the TW and SRR structures of Pendry into the
composite structure shown in Fig 3.3(a), which represented the rst experimental LH MTM
prototype.
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The arguments consisted of the following: 1) designing a TW structure and a SRR structure
with overlapping frequency ranges of negative permittivity and permeability; 2) combining
the two structures into a composite TW-SRR structure, which is shown in Fig 3.3(a); and 3)
launching an electromagnetic wave e
jr
through the structure and concluding from a fact that
a passband (or maximum transmission coefcient, experimentally) appears in the frequency
range of interest proves that the constitutive parameters are simultaneously negative in this
range on the basis of the fact that = nk
0
=

has to be real in a passband. That this

passband [the dashed line in Fig. 3.4] occurs within the previously forbidden region of the
split ring dispersion curves indicates that the negative
eff
for this region has combined with
the negative
eff
to allow propagation.
In the few years after the rst experimental demonstration of a LH structure by
Smith et al., a large number of both theoretical and experimental reports conrmed the
existence and main properties of LH materials predicted by Veselago.
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Chapter 4
Transmission line metamaterials
Although very exciting from a physics point of view, the initial TW-SRR MTMs seem of
little practical interest for engineering applications because these structures are resonant, and
consequently exhibit high loss and narrow bandwidth.17 A structure made of resonating
elements generally does not constitute a good transmission medium for a modulated signal
because of the quality factor intrinsically associated with each resonator. Due to the
weaknesses of resonant-type LH structures, there was a need for alternative architectures.
Therefore, recognizing the analogy between LH waves and conventional backward waves ,
three groups introduced, almost simultaneously in June 2002, a transmission line (TL)
approach of metamaterials: Eleftheriades et. al , Oliner and Caloz et al. .
The planar version of a metamaterial can be treated as a transmission line. Here we
effectively apply the circuit approach based on the equivalent circuit of the transmission line
consisting of lumped elements. This circuit, shown in Fig. 4.1a, consists of series impedance
Z and parallel admittance Y and represents the element of the line with length d, which must
be much shorter than the wavelength in order to form a unit cell.
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The standard lossless line has Z =jL, Y=jC as shown in Fig. 4.1b, then
Where Z
0
is the characteristics impedance, is the propagation constant, v
p
is the phase
velocity and v
g
is the group velocity. This corresponds to the propagation of the standard TEM
forward wave along the line. Both velocities v
p
and v
g
are positive.
Now let us consider the dual case with the corresponding equivalent circuit shown in
Fig. 4 . 1 c where the positions of the capacitance and inductance have been exchanged. In
this way we have changed the original L-C low-pass structure into the C-L high-pass
structure. The latter lines are denoted as left handed and represent the planar version of a
metamaterial. Now for the lossless line we have =0, Z =1/(jC
L
) and Y=jL
L
.
Consequently,
This indicates that the group velocity has an opposite direction comparing to the phase
velocity. This features the backward wave.
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4.1 Composite right/left-handed (CRLH) MTMs
The concept of composite right/left-handed (CRLH) MTM, introduced by Caloz et al. in
2003. The TL structures shown in Fig 4.1c are constituted of series (interdigital) capacitors C
L

and shunt (stub) inductors L
L
, intended to provide left-handedness from the explanations of
the previous section. However, as a wave propagates along the structures, the associated
currents and voltages induce other natural effects. As currents ow along CL, magnetic uxes
are induced and therefore a series inductance L
R
is also present; in addition, voltage gradients
exist between the upper conductors and the ground plane, which corresponds to a shunt
capacitance C
R
. As a consequence, a purely LH (PLH) structure does not exist, even in a
restricted frequency range, since a real LH structure necessarily includes (L
R
, C
R
)
contributions in addition to the (L
L
, C
L
) reactances. This was the motivation for the
introduction of the term composite right/left-handed (CRLH), allowing to account for the
exact natural of practical LH media.
The essential characteristics of a CRLH TL MTM can be inferred from analysis of the
equivalent circuit of Fig 4.2(a). At low frequencies, L
R
and C
R
tend to be short and open,
respectively, so that the equivalent circuit is essentially reduced to the series-C
L
/shunt-L
L

circuit, which is LH since it has antiparallel phase and group velocities; this LH circuit is of
highpass nature; therefore, below a certain cutoff, a LH stopband is present. At high
frequencies, C
L
and L
L
tend to be short and open, respectively, so that the equivalent circuit is
essentially reduced to the series-L
R
/shunt-C
R
circuit, which is RH since it has parallel phase
and group velocities; this LH circuit is of lowpass nature; therefore, above a certain cutoff, a
RH stopband is present. In general, the series resonance
se
and shunt resonance
sh
are
different, so that a gap exists between the LH and the RH ranges. However, if these
resonances are made equal, or are balanced, this gap disappears, and an innite-wavelength
(
g
= 2/||) propagation is achieved at the transition frequency
0
.
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This gives the possibility of designing resonators of zeroth order oscillating on this
resonant frequency
0
which does not depend on the resonator length and even with
resonances of negative orders. The planar LHTLs were applied in a number of microwave
elements mostly utilizing the CRLH TLs. The new properties of these circuits include: dual-
band operation, bandwidth enhancement, arbitrary coupling level and negative and zeroth-
order resonance.
The dual-band property follows from the possibility of the CRLH TL to satisfy the
condition of having desired characteristic impedance and a phase constant at two
independent frequencies, one in the LH band and the second one in the RH band. This was
used in dual-band quarter wavelength stubs that have simultaneously the electrical length /4
and 3/4 at any arbitrary pair of frequencies. These stubs were applied in dual-band
quadrature hybrids and Wilkinson power dividers, and dual band quadrature mixers.
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Chapter 5
Applications of metamaterials
5.1 Filters using SRR
SRR characteristics are strongly dependent on frequency, being resonant structures.
This means that they can switch from quadrant I to IV as frequency varies. So transmission
and stop bands are achieved. To do that, a combination of different size SRRs can make a
stop-band or bandpass filters.
Figure 5.1 shows a measured absorption curve of a SRR similar to that shown in the inset.
The Q-factor, as measured from the absorption curve, was found to be greater than 600 at the
resonance frequency of ~4.85 GHz.
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5.2 Diplexers
Diplexer is a passive device that combines two different frequency signals to share the
same propagation channel. The dual-band property follows from the possibility of the
CRLH TL to satisfy the condition of having desired characteristic impedance and a phase
constant at two independent frequencies, one in the LH band and the second one in the RH
band.
5.3 Couplers
A coupler transfers part of an electromagnetic wave, propagating through a transmission
line, to another. For ordinary RH media, the transmission is forward. If the transmission line
is LH, then backward coupling can send power back.
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5.4 Perfect lens
Perhaps one of the most striking predictions for MTMs came in 2000, when Pendry
showed that a flat slab of NI material could produce a focus with resolution exceeding the
diffraction limit. This was an extraordinary prediction, since it required that the normally
exponentially decaying evanescent terms produced by a source would actually be recovered in
the image formed by the slab. All sources of EM radiation possess both propagating
components and components that stay fixed, decaying rapidly away with distance from the
source. Mathematically, all EM sources can be expressed as a superposition of propagating
plane waves and exponentially decaying near-fields. These exponentially decaying terms
cannot be recovered by any known positive index lens. Since the near field is responsible for
conveying the finest details of an object, their absence limits the resolution of positive index
optics to roughly /2 the diffraction limit. However, Pendry predicted that an NI lens would
actually be able to recover the exponentially decaying near-field components at the image,
thereby exhibiting resolution beyond the diffraction limit.
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5.5 Invisibility cloak
Invisibility cloaking can be accomplished by manipulating the paths traversed by light
through a novel optical material. Metamaterials direct and control the propagation and
transmission of specified parts of the light spectrum and demonstrate the potential to render
an object seemingly invisible. Metamaterial cloaking, based on transformation optics,
describes the process of shielding something from view by controlling electromagnetic
radiation. Objects in the defined location are still present, but incident waves are guided
around them without being affected by the object itself.
Transformation optics
Metamaterials give enormous choice of material parameters for electromagnetic
applications. So much so that we might ask if there is a new way to design electromagnetic
systems exploiting this new flexibility. In an ideal world magnetic and electrical field lines
can be placed anywhere that the laws of physics allow and a suitable metamaterial found to
accommodate the desired configuration of fields. It was to answer the question of what
parameters to choose for the metamaterial that we developed transformation optics. The idea
is quite straightforward: start with a field pattern that obeys Maxwells equations for a system
that is topologically similar to the desired configuration but confined either to free space or a
simple configuration of permittivity and permeability, then distort the system until the fields
are in the desired configuration. If we imagine that the original system was embedded in an
elastic matrix in which Cartesian coordinate lines were drawn, then after distortion the
deformed coordinates could be described by a coordinate transformation. Next rewrite
Maxwells equations using the new coordinate system. Some time ago it was shown that
Maxwells equation is of the same form in any coordinate system but the precise values of
permittivity and permeability will change. These new values of permittivity and permeability
are the ones we must give to our metamaterial if we want the fields to take up the distorted
configuration.
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As a challenge for transformation optics there are two main problems for constructing
a cloak of invisibility: first scattered radiation must be eliminated and hence no radiation must
reach the hidden object; second the hidden object must cast no shadow. The latter is the more
difficult of the two to achieve. Pendry suggested to construct a cloak that guides radiation
around the hidden space but allowing to resume its original course on the far side. An
observer would see the same radiation as if neither the cloak nor the hidden object were
present. One advantage of this scheme is that any object can be placed inside the cloak and
still remain hidden.
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In 2006, D. Schurig et al presented the first practical realization of such a cloak: in
their demonstration, a copper cylinder is hidden inside a cloak constructed according to the
previous theoretical prescription. The cloak is constructed using artificially structured
metamaterials, designed for operation over a band of microwave frequencies. The cloak
decreases scattering from the hidden object whilst at the same time reducing its shadow, so
that the cloak and object combined begin to resemble free space. Operating frequency is
8.5GHz. The cloak is shown in Fig. 5.6.
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Chapter 6
The future of MTMs
The special properties of CRLH structures, provide guesses about many new
applications. Also, the present limitations of such structures mean exciting challenges for the
future.
6.1 Tunability
It would be desirable to control the frequency behaviour of MTMs. This can be done by
adding electronically controllable extra capacitance or inductance (i.e. including varactors
into the base transmission line or ferroelectric/ ferrimagnetic media ). Modification of the
geometry of the structure has also been suggested
6.2 Active MTMs
Active MTMs represent entirely unexplored fields to date. It may be predicted that
novel active applications will soon emerge from the new paradigm of MTMs and MTM TL
structures and extend the range of available active microwave and optoelectronic devices
An immediate direction for integration of active components into MTMs is
compensation of losses, which has been a critical issue in many MTMs and in particular in
SRR/TW structures. In the same manner as (passive) varactors were distributed along MTM
TL structures, transistors may be implemented, for instance to equalize and modulate the
profile of the fields along a leaky wave structure to control its radiation characteristics, or to
develop enhanced gain-bandwidth distributed power amplifiers. In the future, MTMs may
become part of complex radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and monolithic
microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) technology implementations.
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6.3 Use of different materials
MTMs are made mostly of metallic conductors and dielectric substrates. Moreover,
the rise in frequencies, up to Terahertz, and the applications to active devices, requires
materials other than metallic to reduce losses
6.4 Rise in frequency (Nanotechnology).
The size of the constituent metaparticles is related to the wavelengths of the signals
interacting with the medium. So, as the frequency increases, nanotechnology becomes more
and more important.
6.5 Full 3D metamaterials
Most of the to-day applications are based on planar structures. Nevertheless, an ideal
MM would be a 3D isotropic and homogeneous structure. Some works for the terahertz bands
have started recently.
METAMATERIALS
Bivision of Electionics Engg. 2S
Chapter 7
Conclusion
Metamaterials are a brand new kind of artificial media whose properties emerge from the
structure itself, instead of their single constituents. Their electromagnetic properties have not
been found in natural media, giving rise to a broad range of applications. Without any doubt,
metamaterials have become an extremely exciting research area. The unique electromagnetic
properties provided by metamaterials attract considerable attention of researchers from
multiple disciplines. In turn, this will spark the merging of knowledge and expertise across
different areas, further driving the astounding advance of metamaterials research. Within only
ten years, we have witnessed many remarkable breakthroughs, such as negative refraction,
superlens and invisible cloak. Many other fascinating discoveries and applications are waiting
for us to explore. With the complete degree of freedom to control over material properties,
what we could do next is only limited by our imagination. The challenge calls for an
interdisciplinary research including physics, engineering, chemistry, mathematics and even
biology.
METAMATERIALS
Bivision of Electionics Engg. 26
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