A microstrip tunable negative refractive index metamaterial and phase shifter

A tunable negative refractive index metamaterial and miniature phase shifter have been designed and fabricated in a microstrip configuration for applications in radio frequency integrated circuits. The metamaterial consists of plasmonic copper wires and yttrium iron garnet slabs having a low insertion loss of 5dB at the center of the transmission band. The yttrium iron garnet material enables the magnetic field tuning of the negative refractive index in a dynamic frequency band from 7.0to11.0GHz. The insertion phase can be tuned by 45° continuously by varying the bias field from 3.8to4.6kOe at 9.0GHz.