Varactor-loaded complementary split ring resonators (VLCSRR) and their application to tunable metamaterial transmission lines

In this letter, the varactor-loaded complementary split ring resonator (VLCSRR) is presented for the first time. This particle is the dual counterpart of the varactor-loaded split ring resonator (VLSRR), which was introduced previously by some of the authors. Thanks to the presence of the varactor diodes, the electrical characteristics of the particle can be electronically tuned. Thus, by loading a microstrip line with VLCSRRs, the structure exhibits a tunable rejection band which is attributed to the negative effective permittivity provided by the particle. It is also shown in this letter that by adding a gap to the structure, the rejection band is switched to a tunable pass band with left handed wave propagation. Due to the topology of the complementary split rings resonators, the insertion and polarization of the diode varactors is not straightforward. These aspects are discussed in the letter. A circuit model for the VLCSRR is proposed. From parameter extraction and comparison between simulation of the circuit model and experiment good agreement is obtained. © 2007 IEEE.