We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a metamaterial absorber which is resonant at terahertz frequencies. We experimentally demonstrate an absorptivity of 0.97 at 1.6 terahertz. Importantly, this free-standing absorber is only 1
6 microns thick resulting in a highly flexible material that, further, operates over a wide range of angles of incidence for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic radiation.
We have fabricated resonant terahertz metamaterials on free standing polyimide substrates. The low-loss polyimide substrates can be as thin as 5.5 micron yielding robust large-area metamaterials which are easily wrapped into cylinders with a radius o
f a few millimeters. Our results provide a path forward for creating multi-layer non-planar metamaterials at terahertz frequencies.
