Dynamically Tunable Membrane Metasurfaces for Infrared Spectroscopy

TL;DR

This paper presents a dynamically tunable silicon membrane metasurface platform for mid-infrared spectroscopy, enabling high-resolution, reconfigurable chemical sensing and vibrational strong coupling without bulky equipment.

Contribution

Introduction of a thermo-optically tunable silicon metasurface with high-Q resonances for on-chip, reconfigurable mid-IR spectroscopy and molecular sensing.

Findings

Achieved continuous spectral tuning of EIT-like modes over 23.5 cm^{-1} range.

Demonstrated non-contact chemical analysis of polymers using the metasurface.

Observed vibrational strong coupling with Rabi splitting of ~43 cm^{-1}.

Abstract

Mid-infrared spectroscopy enables biochemical sensing by identifying vibrational molecular fingerprints, but it faces limitations in instrumentation portability and analytical sensitivity. Optical metasurfaces with strong mid-IR photonic resonances provide an attractive solution towards on-chip spectrometry and sensitive molecular detection, yet their static nature hinders their anticipated impact. Here, we introduce and demonstrate dynamically tunable silicon membrane metasurfaces exhibiting high-Q transmissive resonances in the fingerprint region. By harnessing silicon's thermo-optical properties, we achieve continuous modulation of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like modes that emerge upon the interference of quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs) and surface lattice modes. We measure a spectral tuning rate of 0.06 $cm^{-1}/K$ by continuously sweeping the sharp EIT resonances over a 23.5 $cm^{-1}$ spectral range across a temperature range of 300-700 K. This dynamic transmission control enables non-contact chemical analysis of polymer films by detecting characteristic absorption bands of polystyrene (1450 and 1492 $cm^{-1}$) and Poly(methyl methacrylate) (1730 $cm^{-1}$) without bulky spectrometers. When analyte molecules fill the metasurface-generated photonic cavities, we demonstrate vibrational strong coupling between the Poly(methyl methacrylate)'s carbonyl band and the EIT mode, manifested in the Rabi splitting of $\sim$ 43 $cm^{-1}$. Our results establish a new photonic platform that unites spectral precision, strong field enhancement, and reconfigurability, offering diverse potential for compact mid-IR spectroscopy, molecular sensing, and programmable polaritonic photonics.