Terahertz Metasurface with Four-Degree-of-Freedom Geometric Encoding for Broadband Multichannel Fingerprint Sensing

Terahertz (THz) fingerprint spectroscopy enables label-free identification of molecular vibrational signatures, but trace biomolecular absorption is too weak to be reliably resolved in free-space measurements. To address this limitation, we propose a four-degree-of-freedom geometrically encoded THz metasurface for broadband multichannel fingerprint sensing. The substrate-free self-supporting aluminum structure incorporates four independently tunable geometric parameters: gap angle θ, outer ring radius R, scaling factor S, and ring width W. By regulating these parameters, multiple resonance-tuning pathways are established, enabling designable multiband spectral coverage over 0.6–1.4 THz and flexible matching with the fingerprint bands of L-hydroxyproline (L-HYP). Numerical simulations show that the metasurface achieves a refractive-index sensitivity of 512.66 GHz/RIU with a linear fitting coefficient of R2 = 0.99708 and a mean Q factor of 4.72. For biomolecular fingerprint sensing, the encoded resonances overlap with the L-HYP absorption bands near 0.73 and 1.17 THz, producing AIT-like spectral modulation and envelope-derived attenuation enhancement. Compared with an unstructured analyte reference, the valid 0.73 THz readout gives enhancement factors of 5.76 and 7.09 for the R and S channels, respectively, while the four encoded channels provide enhancement factors of 3.53–4.45 at 1.17 THz. This design provides a compact strategy for broadband multichannel THz fingerprint enhancement, offering a promising route for monitoring collagen-metabolism-related biomarkers and advancing label-free biochemical sensing, fibrosis-related molecular screening, and integrated broadband THz detection.