Analytical Design of Optically Transparent, Wideband, and Tunable Microwave Absorber Based on Graphene Spiral Resonator Metasurface

We present the design of an optically transparent, flexible, and tunable microwave absorber covering the X and Ku frequency bands. The absorber is based on a metasurface composed of a periodic array of graphene spiral resonators (GSRs) attached to an ultrathin PET film placed over an ITO-backed dielectric spacer. An equivalent circuit model (ECM), described by closed-form equations, is proposed to optimize the structure for maximum absorption within the target frequency range. The optimized absorber achieves a peak absorbance of 99.7% for normally incident waves while maintaining over 90% absorption at various incident angles in the frequency range from 8.5 GHz to 17.4 GHz. In addition, a double-layer graphene spiral resonator (DGSR) metasurface is proposed to extend the absorber’s operational bandwidth, demonstrating a bandwidth enhancement of approximately 3 GHz and a relative bandwidth of 90% without compromising miniaturization or incident angle stability. Given their remarkable attributes, both GSR and DGSR configurations show great potential for applications in radar stealth technology and transparent electromagnetic compatibility.