Metamaterials – from fundamentals and MEMS tuning mechanisms to applications

Metamaterials, consisting of subwavelength resonant structures, can be artificially engineered to yield desired response to electromagnetic waves. In contrast to the naturally existing materials whose properties are limited by their chemical compositions and structures, the optical response of metamaterials is controlled by the geometrics of resonant unit cells, called “meta-atoms”. Many exotic functionalities such as negative refractive index, cloaking, perfect absorber, have been realized in metamaterials. One recent technical advance in this field is the active metamaterial, in which the structure of metamaterials can be tuned to realize multiple states in a single device. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, well-known for its ability of reconfiguring mechanical structures, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility and low power consumption, is perfectly suitable for such purpose. In the past one decade, we have seen numerous exciting works endeavoring to incorporate the novel MEMS functionalities with metamaterials for widespread applications. In this review, we will first visit the fundamental theories of MEMS-based active metamaterials, such as the lumped circuit model, coupled-mode theory, and interference theory. Then, we summarize the recent applications of MEMS-based metamaterials in various research fields. Finally, we provide an outlook on the future research directions of MEMS-based metamaterials and their possible applications.