All-Dielectric Metasurfaces in Fundamentals, Materials, and Emerging Applications
- 1Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) & Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, United States, 02139
Abstract
The field of optics is undergoing a transformative shift, pushed forward by the demand for miniaturized, lightweight, and highly functional components. Dielectric metasurfaces have emerged as a transformative platform in modern photonics, offering unprecedented control over the amplitude, phase, polarization, and frequency of light within an ultrathin, planar architecture. Unlike their metallic predecessors, all-dielectric metasurfaces exploit Mie resonances, bound states in the continuum, and multipolar interference to achieve low-loss, high-efficiency optical functionalities across the visible, near-infrared, and terahertz spectral ranges. This review covers the field systematically, starting with the common working principles of dielectric metasurfaces and the physical mechanisms that make them so versatile. We then discuss the most widely used material platforms, including their optical properties and practical trade-offs, followed by an overview of the fabrication techniques available today. We look at both traditional top-down methods, such as electron-beam lithography, and emerging high-throughput approaches like nanoimprint lithography and photochemical deposition. We also examine the design strategies and element geometries used to build optical functionality into these surfaces, from simple phase-shifting pillars to more complex resonant architectures. Finally, this review examines the broad range of applications these structures enable, from metalenses and holography to nonlinear optics, biosensing, and terahertz generation. By identifying the key open challenges in fabrication scalability, broadband operation, and active tunability, this review aims to serve both as a reference resource for specialists and as an entry point for researchers from adjacent disciplines, charting a clear roadmap for the next decade of flat-optics research.
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BibTeX
@misc{ali2026alldielectric,
title = {{All-Dielectric Metasurfaces in Fundamentals, Materials, and Emerging Applications}},
author = {Rana Faryad Ali},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008898/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008898/v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - All-Dielectric Metasurfaces in Fundamentals, Materials, and Emerging Applications
AU - Rana Faryad Ali
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008898/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008898/v1
AB - The field of optics is undergoing a transformative shift, pushed forward by the demand for miniaturized, lightweight, and highly functional components. Dielectric metasurfaces have emerged as a transformative platform in modern photonics, offering unprecedented control over the amplitude, phase, polarization, and frequency of light within an ultrathin, planar architecture. Unlike their metallic predecessors, all-dielectric metasurfaces exploit Mie resonances, bound states in the continuum, and multipolar interference to achieve low-loss, high-efficiency optical functionalities across the visible, near-infrared, and terahertz spectral ranges. This review covers the field systematically, starting with the common working principles of dielectric metasurfaces and the physical mechanisms that make them so versatile. We then discuss the most widely used material platforms, including their optical properties and practical trade-offs, followed by an overview of the fabrication techniques available today. We look at both traditional top-down methods, such as electron-beam lithography, and emerging high-throughput approaches like nanoimprint lithography and photochemical deposition. We also examine the design strategies and element geometries used to build optical functionality into these surfaces, from simple phase-shifting pillars to more complex resonant architectures. Finally, this review examines the broad range of applications these structures enable, from metalenses and holography to nonlinear optics, biosensing, and terahertz generation. By identifying the key open challenges in fabrication scalability, broadband operation, and active tunability, this review aims to serve both as a reference resource for specialists and as an entry point for researchers from adjacent disciplines, charting a clear roadmap for the next decade of flat-optics research.
ER -