Metasurface-enhanced spectrometers leverage subwavelength nanostructures to achieve unprecedented spectral resolution and compactness. A recent design demonstrated a spectral resolution of 0.1 nm across the visible spectrum while occupying less than 1 cm³ in volume. This miniaturization is enabled by dielectric metasurfaces with an efficiency exceeding 90%, outperforming traditional diffraction gratings by a factor of three.
These spectrometers are particularly effective in portable applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and field-deployable environmental monitoring systems. For example, a metasurface-based spectrometer integrated into a smartphone achieved glucose concentration measurements with an accuracy of ±0.5 mM within seconds. The device operates at a power consumption of just 50 mW, making it ideal for battery-powered applications.
The fabrication of metasurfaces relies on advanced lithography techniques such as electron-beam lithography (EBL) and nanoimprint lithography (NIL). While EBL offers precision down to sub-10 nm features, its throughput is limited to ~1 cm²/hour. NIL addresses this bottleneck with throughputs exceeding 100 cm²/hour but requires master templates with feature sizes below 50 nm for optimal performance. Recent advancements in self-assembly techniques have further reduced fabrication costs by ~40%.
Challenges remain in achieving broadband operation without sacrificing efficiency or resolution. Hybrid designs combining multiple metasurfaces optimized for different wavelength ranges have shown promise, achieving an average efficiency of >80% across the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum (200–2500 nm). Such systems are poised to replace bulky Fourier-transform spectrometers in many applications.
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