Effective medium theory for graphene-covered metallic gratings

We propose an effective medium theory for a one-dimensional periodic array of rectangular grooves covered by a graphene sheet. Parameters of the effective medium model are given by explicit analytical expressions for both major polarizations TM and TE, and for all incident angles. In extraction of this model, we assumed single mode approximation inside the grooves. The effect of non-specular diffraction orders outside the grating, as well as the plasmonic response of the graphene sheet in the far-infrared spectrum, is addressed by introducing an effective surface conductivity at the interface of the metallic grating and the ambient environment. It is shown that surface plasmons in graphene effectively capture diffracted waves in the metallic grating leading to near total absorption. Results of this work may pave the way for designing wide-band absorbers for terahertz applications.