An integrated bifunctional metamaterial perfect absorber for high-efficient broadband absorption and narrowband refractive index detection
- 1Correspondence to: Assoc. Prof. Weijia Han, Prof. Shengxiang Wang, School of Microelectronics, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, Hubei, China. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Abstract
Metamaterial absorbers have been extensively investigated for broadband light harvesting and narrowband sensing, but integrating both into one compact device still remains challenging. In this work, we propose a bifunctional metamaterial absorber (BMA) based on zirconium nitride (ZrN). The device consists of periodically arranged ZrN concentric-ring arrays on a silicon dioxide (SiO2) spacer with an Au film underneath for broadband absorption, and ZrN-based four-by-four square-grid arrays on the opposite side of the Au substrate for narrowband refractive index sensing. Numerical simulations show that the broadband mode achieves an average absorptivity of 97.48% over the wavelength range of 800 to 2,300 nm, while the narrowband mode exhibits a near-perfect absorptivity at 948.1 nm with a bandwidth of 23.14 nm, delivering a sensitivity of 1,015.62 nm RIU-1. Electric field distributions and impedance analyses indicate that the absorption behavior arises from the couplings of localized surface plasmon resonances, multipole resonances, and Rayleigh Anomalies (RAs). Parametric studies demonstrate that the broadband absorption maintains high absorptivity in a wide wavelength range, whereas the narrowband resonance systematically shifts as the varying structural parameters. These results not only highlight the importance of integrating light harvesting and refractive index sensing in a single design, but also pave the way for incorporating multiple functionalities into one compact device for broad applications.
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BibTeX
@article{zuo2026integrated,
title = {{An integrated bifunctional metamaterial perfect absorber for high-efficient broadband absorption and narrowband refractive index detection}},
author = {Yilin Zuo and Weijia Han and Guochao Wei and Kang Du and Yan Liu and Shengxiang Wang},
journal = {Microstructures},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.20517/microstructures.2026.28},
url = {https://doi.org/10.20517/microstructures.2026.28},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - An integrated bifunctional metamaterial perfect absorber for high-efficient broadband absorption and narrowband refractive index detection
AU - Yilin Zuo
AU - Weijia Han
AU - Guochao Wei
AU - Kang Du
AU - Yan Liu
AU - Shengxiang Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/10
JO - Microstructures
DO - 10.20517/microstructures.2026.28
UR - https://doi.org/10.20517/microstructures.2026.28
AB - Metamaterial absorbers have been extensively investigated for broadband light harvesting and narrowband sensing, but integrating both into one compact device still remains challenging. In this work, we propose a bifunctional metamaterial absorber (BMA) based on zirconium nitride (ZrN). The device consists of periodically arranged ZrN concentric-ring arrays on a silicon dioxide (SiO2) spacer with an Au film underneath for broadband absorption, and ZrN-based four-by-four square-grid arrays on the opposite side of the Au substrate for narrowband refractive index sensing. Numerical simulations show that the broadband mode achieves an average absorptivity of 97.48% over the wavelength range of 800 to 2,300 nm, while the narrowband mode exhibits a near-perfect absorptivity at 948.1 nm with a bandwidth of 23.14 nm, delivering a sensitivity of 1,015.62 nm RIU-1. Electric field distributions and impedance analyses indicate that the absorption behavior arises from the couplings of localized surface plasmon resonances, multipole resonances, and Rayleigh Anomalies (RAs). Parametric studies demonstrate that the broadband absorption maintains high absorptivity in a wide wavelength range, whereas the narrowband resonance systematically shifts as the varying structural parameters. These results not only highlight the importance of integrating light harvesting and refractive index sensing in a single design, but also pave the way for incorporating multiple functionalities into one compact device for broad applications.
SN - 2770-2995
ER -