Abstract-Active Phase Transition via Loss Engineering in a Terahertz MEMS Metamaterial

Longqing Cong, Prakash Pitchappa, Chengkuo Lee, Ranjan Singh

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201700733/abstract

Controlling the phase of local radiation by using exotic metasurfaces has enabled promising applications in a diversified set of electromagnetic wave manipulation such as anomalous wavefront deflection, flat lenses, and holograms. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate an active phase transition in a micro-electromechanical system-based metadevice where both the phase response and the dispersion of the metamaterial cavity are dynamically tailored. The phase transition is determined by the radiative and the absorptive losses in a metal–insulator–metal cavity that obeys the coupled-mode theory. The complete understanding of the phase diagram in a reconfigurable configuration would open up avenues for designing multifunctional metadevices that can be actively switched between different phases leading to a plethora of applications in polarization control, beam deflectors, and holographic metamaterials.