Design and modeling of a MEMS-based tunable optical nanoantenna

A MEMS-based tunable optical nanoantenna is described. The capability of the nanometer resolution and repeatability offered by the MEMS actuators paves the way for the tunable optical antennas, which is confirmed by both modeling and experimental measurements. The MEMS-based tunable antenna offers many advantages in terms of cost-effective fabrication, dynamic optical intensity enhancement, dynamic wavelenght shifting and performance optimization, etc. The optical performance of the tunable antenna has been investigated using rigorous finite difference and time domain (FDTD) method. It reveals that peak wavelengths and local field enhancements are largely affected by the size and shape of the bowtie antenna. The optical field can be drastically enhanced by reducing the gap size less than 30 nm which can easily be achieved by the MEMS system.