Subwavelength MEMS cantilever array for dynamic manipulation of terahertz waves

We experimentally demonstrate the use of simple MEMS microcantilevers as an efficient way to achieve dynamic manipulation of terahertz waves. An array of subwavelength sized microcantilevers acts as metamaterial, which can be electrostatically tuned to provide active control of light-matter interaction. The proposed metamaterial shows tuning range of 0.3 THz, which is further improved to 0.36 THz, through dimension optimization technique. This technology is readily scalable, and can be redesigned for any spectral region of interest. The simple approach is highly versatile, that will enable wide impact from exploration of numerous physical phenomena to the realization of commercial devices.