High-Q, Size-Independent, and Reconfigurable Optical Antennas Embedded in Zero-Index Cavities

Abstract:

Enhancing light–matter interactions at the nanoscale is foundational to nanophotonics, with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials demonstrating significant potential. High-quality factor (Q) resonances that maximize these interactions are typically realized in photonic crystals requiring sub-50 nm precision nanofabrication over large areas, limiting scalability and increasing complexity. Mie resonances offer an alternative but are constrained by low Q-factors due to the scarcity of high-refractive index materials, necessitating large refractive index changes for effective resonance switching and limiting dynamic reconfigurability. We overcome these limitations by embedding Mie resonators within ENZ media, thereby enhancing Q-factors, mitigating geometric dispersion and fabrication challenges, and maximizing optical reconfigurability. We introduce three resonator-ENZ configurations: voids in AlN, Ge in SiO2, and intrinsic InSb in doped InSb─spanning from low-loss phononic to lossy plasmonic ENZ modes. Using novel epitaxial regrowth techniques, we achieve significant Q-factor improvements over nonembedded resonators. An air-based Mie resonator embedded in AlN supports resonant Q-factors exceeding 100, with negligible geometric dispersion across sizes from 800 to 2800 nm. Additionally, we demonstrate dynamic reconfigurability of intrinsic InSb resonators by thermally tuning the ENZ wavelength over a 2 μm range in the mid-infrared (11–16 μm) wavelength regime. These results showcase the potential of Mie resonators embedded in ENZ media for high-fidelity sensors, thermal emitters, and reconfigurable metasurfaces, bridging theoretical predictions with practical applications and advancing the development of dynamic, high-Q optical devices.

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