Imaging-based molecular barcoding with pixelated dielectric metasurfaces

Metasurfaces for molecular detection Although mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a mainstay of molecular fingerprinting, its sensitivity is diminished somewhat when looking at small volumes of sample. Nanophotonics provides a platform to enhance the detection capability. Tittl et al. built a mid-IR nanophotonic sensor based on reflection from an all-dielectric metasurface array of specially designed scattering elements. The scattering elements could be tuned via geometry across a broad range of wavelengths in the mid-IR. The approach successfully detected and differentiated the absorption fingerprints of various molecules. The technique offers the prospect of on-chip molecular fingerprinting without the need for spectrometry, frequency scanning, or moving mechanical parts. Science , this issue p. 1105