Ultrathin Wideband Metamaterial Absorber Using Indium Tin Oxide for Electromagnetic Shielding and Stealth Applications

In the presented study, we created an ultrathin, wideband metamaterial absorber that is both stable at wide incidence angles and insensitive to polarization. The absorber's unit cell dimensions are 12.0 mm × 12.0 mm × 4.0 mm, consisting of two layers: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and indium tin oxide (ITO). The absorber achieves more than 90% absorption at normal incidence throughout a large frequency range, from 10.05 GHz to 31.86 GHz, for a total absorption bandwidth of 21.81 GHz. To further analyze its performance, the absorber was simulated at oblique incidence angles to measure its stability at multiple angles of incidence. The simulation findings indicated that the transverse magnetic (TM) mode delivers more than 90% absorption up to a 60º angle of incidence, while the transverse electric (TE) mode retains above 90% absorption up to a 45º incidence angle. The combination of wideband absorption, angle stability, and polarization insensitivity makes it a suitable option for a wide range of electromagnetic wave attenuation applications.