Analysis of a subwavelength Z-shaped metamaterial

A Z-shaped easy made planar meta-atom is presented as an alternative design to the conventional electric-LC (ELC) resonator for achieving negative permittivity. Transforming the LC topology of the resonator helps to facilitate transposition of geometrical parameters for the optical regime and also to improve the metamaterial homogeneity. Our approach aims to simplify the resonator design and achieve a lower resonance frequency without being limited by fabrication techniques. The electromagnetic behaviour is investigated through both simulations and experiments in the microwave regime. Our results show that the developed meta-atom exhibits a strong electric response to normally incident radiation and can be used very effectively in producing materials with negative permittivity. The Z-shaped structure is also shown to present a higher effective medium ratio and can possibly find various applications in planar high frequency passive circuits due to the simplicity of fabrication.