"Exclusive-OR" operation with Fano resonant MEMS Metamaterial

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a reconfigurable terahertz metasurface capable of performing XOR, NAND, and NOT logical operations using Fano resonances, enabling advanced programmable metamaterials for high-speed wireless applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel microcantilever-based Fano resonant metasurface that performs multiple logical operations with electrical control and optical readout at terahertz frequencies.

Findings

Successful demonstration of XOR operation with electrical inputs.

Universal NAND logical operation enabled by near-field resonance.

Achieved NOT operation using a single electrical input and optical readout.

Abstract

In recent years, a range of reconfigurable metamaterials controlled with thermal, electric, magnetic and optical signals have been developed for dynamically manipulating the intensity, phase and wave-front of electromagnetic radiation across the broad electromagnetic spectrum ranging from microwave to optics. Here for the first time, we demonstrate a reconfigurable metasurface performing exclusive OR (XOR) logical operation using two independent control electrical inputs and an optical read-out in the form of far-field Fano intensity states at terahertz wavelengths. At the same time, the near field resonant confinement enables a universal NAND logical operation. Further, by using a single electrical input control and an optical readout, a logical NOT operation is achieved at the far-field intensity states of the Fano resonance. The proposed reconfigurable microcantilever based Fano design that exhibits multiple logical operations can create a versatile platform for realization of programmable and randomly accessible metamaterials with enhanced electro-optical performance, multichannel data processing and encryption techniques for high speed wireless networks which are now being pushed towards terahertz wavelengths.