Open AccessTerahertz MEMS metadevices
Author(s) -
Prakash Pitchappa,
Abhishek Kumar,
Ranjan Singh,
Chengkuo Lee,
Nan Wang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of micromechanics and microengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.494
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1361-6439
pISSN - 0960-1317
DOI - 10.1088/1361-6439/ac1eed
Subject(s) - terahertz radiation , microelectromechanical systems , metamaterial , microscale chemistry , computer science , wireless , optoelectronics , electronic engineering , nanotechnology , engineering , materials science , telecommunications , mathematics education , mathematics
Terahertz (THz) part of the electromagnetic spectrum (0.1–10 THz) holds the key for next-generation high-speed wireless communication, non-destructive biosensing, fingerprint chemical detection and imaging for astronomy and security surveillance. The limited THz response of naturally occurring materials had left a technological gap in the THz region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Artificially engineered materials termed as ‘metamaterials’, have shown great potential in THz wave interaction and its active counterpart termed as ‘metadevices’ have been widely reported for on-demand manipulation of THz waves. One of the most efficient means of realizing metadevices is to reconfigure the shape of unit cells and hence the corresponding THz response. The 50+ years of development in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and the wide array of microactuator designs provide a perfect platform to achieve structural reconfiguration of microscale metamaterial unit cells in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of various MEMS approaches adopted for the demonstration of THz metadevices, their advantages and limitations. The future research directions of THz MEMS metadevices are also discussed. The seamless integration of matured MEMS technology with incipient THz metamaterials provides significant advantages in terms of enhanced performances, advanced functionalities and large scale manufacturability, that is critical for the development of future THz technologies.