Broadband time-modulated absorber beyond the Bode-Fano limit by energy trapping

Abstract

Wide-band absorption is a popular topic in microwave engineering to protect sensitive devices against broadband sources. However, the Bode-Fano criterion defines the trade-off between bandwidth and efficiency for all passive, linear, time-invariant systems. In this letter, we propose a broadband absorber beyond the Bode-Fano limit by creating an energy trap using time-modulated switch/diodes. This work starts with an ideal circuit model to prove the concept, followed by two EM realizations - a freuqnecy selective surface (FSS) approach for general bandwidth broadening and a low-profile PCB design. The prototype of the latter is built and measured, demonstrating a Bode-Fano integral larger than one. This approach paves a way to many practical ultra-wide band absorber designs.