Open Access
Experimental demonstration of deeply subwavelength dielectric sensing with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) waveguides
(American Institute of Physics, 2022) Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Engheta, Nader; Pacheco-Peña, Víctor; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
In this Letter, an all metallic sensor based on ε-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials is studied both numerically and experimentally when working at microwave frequencies. To emulate an ENZ medium, a sensor is made by using a narrow hollow rectangular waveguide, working near the cutoff frequency of its fundamental TE 10 mode. The performance of the sensor is systematically evaluated by placing subwavelength dielectric analytes (with different sizes and relative permittivities) within the ENZ waveguide and moving them along the propagation and transversal axes. It is experimentally demonstrated how this ENZ sensor is able to detect deeply subwavelength dielectric bodies of sizes up to 0.04λ and height 5 × 10 −3 λ with high sensitivities (and the figure of merit) up to 0.05 1/RIU (∼0.6 1/GHz) and 0.6 1/RIU when considering the sensor working as a frequency- or amplitude-shift-based device, respectively.
Open Access
Doubling the propagation distance of surface plasmon polaritons
(SPIE, 2016) Pacheco-Peña, Víctor; Minin, Igor V.; Minin, Oleg V.; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
A novel passive repeater, based on a chain of 3D dielectric particles, has been proposed and numerically simulated.
Open Access
Compact pillbox reflector based on geodesic lens
(IEEE, 2022) Pérez Quintana, Dayan; Chen, Q.; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Quevedo-Teruel, O.; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
We propose a pillbox antenna in combination with a geodesic lens at 60 GHz. The antenna is implemented in a dual-layer parallel plate waveguide. The waves from a geodesic lens in a first layer, after being reflected by a parabolic mirror connecting the rims of the two layers, enter a second layer and illuminate the radiation aperture. Since the lens produces a virtual focus, the reflector works as if it is fed from that a further location, making the system more compact.
Open Access
Planoconcave lens by negative refraction of stacked subwavelength hole arrays
(Optical Society of America, 2008) Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Navarro Cía, Miguel; Sorolla Ayza, Mario; Campillo, Igor; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
This work presents the design of a planoconcave parabolic negative index metamaterial lens operating at millimeter wavelengths fabricated by using stacked subwavelength hole arrays. A staircase approximation to the ideal parabola profile has been done by removing step by step one lattice in each dimension of the transversal section. Theory predicts power concentration at the focal point of the parabola when the refractive index equals -1. Both simulation and measurement results exhibit an excellent agreement and an asymmetrical focus has been observed. The possibility to design similar planoconcave devices in the terahertz and optical wavelengths could be a reality in the near future.
Open Access
Polarization selection with stacked hole array metamaterial
(AIP Publishing, 2008) Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Navarro Cía, Miguel; Sorolla Ayza, Mario; Campillo, Igor; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Polarization rotation or selection appears in materials with optical activity, or those with Faraday effect, or in liquid crystals. In this letter we present a structure, with an analogous response, using stacked extraordinary transmission subwavelength hole arrays modified to be nearly self-complementary. This produces a polarization selector because of the negative index of refraction for one of its linearly polarized eigenwaves. Simulation results and experiments at millimeter wavelengths confirm these features. Applications in miniaturized devices are envisioned as well as the possibility to scale to optical wavelengths.
Open Access
Far-field and near-field physics of extraordinary THz transmitting hole-array antennas
(IEEE, 2019) Camacho, Miguel; Boix, Rafael R.; Kuznetsov, Sergei A.; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Navarro Cía, Miguel; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
Despite three decades of effort, predicting accurately extraordinary transmission through subwavelength hole arrays has proven challenging. The lack of quantitative design and modeling capability to take into account the inherent complexity of high frequency instrumentation has prevented the development of practical high-performance components based on this phenomenon. This paper resorts to the Method of Moments to provide not only such missing quantitative prediction but also a theoretical framework to understand and shed more light on the far-field and near-field physics of the extraordinary terahertz (THz) transmission through subwavelength hole arrays under different illumination and detection conditions. An excellent agreement between the numerical and experimental results with various illumination and detection setups is obtained, demonstrating the suitability of this computationally efficient modeling tool to predict the response of extraordinary transmission structures in practical situations.
Open Access
Accurate circuit modeling of fishnet structures for negative-index-medium applications
(IEEE, 2016) Torres Landívar, Víctor; Mesa, Francisco; Navarro Cía, Miguel; Rodríguez Berral, Raúl; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Medina, Francisco; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Metallic plates with a two-dimensional (2D) periodic distribution of sub-wavelength apertures are known to exhibit extraordinary transmission of electromagnetic waves. Stacking two or more of such plates gives place to the so-called fishnet structures, which constitute a popular way of achieving an effective negative index medium at frequencies ranging from microwaves to optics. Unfortunately, a general wideband equivalent circuit has not yet been proposed to facilitate its understanding and design. This work presents this circuit model with closed-form expressions for the circuit elements, thus making it possible to obtain the electrical response for this class of structures in a very efficient way. This procedure is much faster than alternative numerical methods at the same time that it retains a high level of accuracy when compared with some other oversimplified models. The circuit model also provides a simple rationale as well as a good physical insight in order to explain the qualitative behavior of such structures, independently of the number of stacked layers.
Open Access
Moisture content estimation models of flour matrices in the 67-110 GHz frequency range using a nondestructive and contactless monitoring system
(IEEE, 2023) Quemada Mayoral, Carlos; Ederra Urzainqui, Íñigo; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Gonzalo García, Ramón; Iriarte Galarregui, Juan Carlos; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
This work addresses the lack of moisture content estimation models for food products in the millimeter-wave frequency range and showcases the potential of this range for designing compact, cost-effective, and in-line food moisture sensors. The moisture content estimation models developed in this study are intended for flour-based mixtures in the 67-110 GHz frequency range and are derived by means of a nondestructive and contactless monitoring system. To this aim, data obtained by continuous-wave (CW) vector network analyzer (VNA) spectroscopy is used to create two different models, both with a coefficient of determination ( R2 ) of 0.97. One model is based on the theoretical response obtained by means of the Looyenga effective medium theory (EMT) model, while the other is based on measured data. Both models have been experimentally validated with root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.4% and 0.35%, respectively. These small estimation errors show the potential of this frequency range to design compact, cost-effective, and in-line food moisture sensors. This research contributes to improving quality control and monitoring of moisture levels in flour-based mixtures.
Open Access
Radiative cooling properties of portlandite and tobermorite: two cementitious minerals of great relevance in concrete science and technology
(American Chemical Society, 2023-06-23) Dolado, Jorge S.; Goracci, Guido; Arrese-Igor, Silvia; Ayuela, Andrés; Torres Betancourt, Angie Tatiana; Liberal Olleta, Íñigo; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Gaitero, Juan J.; Cagnoni, Matteo; Cappelluti, Federica; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
Although concrete and cement-based materials are the most engineered materials employed by mankind, their potential for use in daytime radiative cooling applications has yet to be fully explored. Due to its complex structure, which is composed of multiple phases and textural details, fine-tuning of concrete is impossible without first analyzing its most important ingredients. Here, the radiative cooling properties of Portlandite (Ca(OH)2) and Tobermorite (Ca5Si6O16(OH)2·4H2O) are studied due to their crucial relevance in cement and concrete science and technology. Our findings demonstrate that, in contrast to concrete (which is a strong infrared emitter but a poor sun reflector), both Portlandite and Tobermorite exhibit good radiative cooling capabilities. These results provide solid evidence that, with the correct optimization of composition and porosity, concrete can be transformed into a material suitable for daytime radiative cooling.
Open Access
Low profile THz periodic leaky-wave antenna
(IEEE, 2014) Beaskoetxea Gartzia, Unai; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Rodríguez Ulibarri, Pablo; Etayo Salinas, David; Sorolla Ayza, Mario; Navarro Cía, Miguel; Zehar, Mokhtar; Blary, Karine; Chahadih, Abdallah; Han, Xiang-Lei; Akalin, Tahsin; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
In this work, a 0.566THz flat leaky-wave antenna, consisting of a central λ0/2 slot surrounded by straight parallel wedge corrugations, is numerically and experimentally analyzed. Simulations show a moderately high gain and no significant differences when compared with a typical square corrugation profile. Numerical comparison is also made for the designed and manufactured antennas. High transmission enhancement in the corrugated case is obtained, compared to that given by a single central slot with no grooves. This kind of antennas finds several applications in different frequency ranges, including the nowadays high-interest range of the THz.