Highly sensitive label-free metamaterial biomedical sensor for fast detection of COVID-19

Abstract In this work, a label-free, and highly sensitive THz biomedical sensor based on metamaterial structure is proposed and analyzed for the fast detection of COVID-19 virus. The reported design can differentiate between normal and infected samples with different dielectric constants. Moreover, it can be used to determine the degree of infection even at very low concentrations of the COVID-19 virus. The design parameters such as geometrical dimensions and type of materials are studied and analyzed in order to maximize the sensor performance. The proposed biomedical sensor has a high sensitivity of 2554 and 1216 GHz RIU −1 around resonance mode frequencies of 5.15 THz and 5.88 THz with quality factor values of 14.34, and 14.78, respectively. Further, the suggested biomedical sensor can detect and monitor other COVID variants like omicron, delta, beta, and alpha variants. Thus, the proposed biomedical sensor significantly enhances healthcare capabilities for patients globally.