Fishnet Metamaterials - Rules for Refraction and Limits of Homogenization

The perfectly conducting stacked fishnet metamaterial is studied in this paper. The analysis is based on a combination of the mode matching method together with the generalized eigenvalue problem, and takes into account wave propagation along all three Cartesian axes. The analysis has been developed for a fishnet of square lateral periodicity and for two particular polarizations, namely TE and TM, corresponding to the two most common excitations. The 1D and 2D dispersion characteristics are calculated for both polarizations, showing that the TM waves undergo negative refraction in a narrow frequency band just below Wood’s anomaly, whereas TE polarized waves exhibit ordinary positive refraction. Finally, possible homogenization of the fishnet metamaterial is considered, showing that only for small angles of incidence and in the immediate vicinity of Wood’s anomaly can the fishnet be seen as homogenizable uniaxial medium.