Metamaterials

Metamaterials are artificially created materials that can achieve electromagnetic properties that do not occur naturally, such as negative index of refraction or electromagnetic cloaking. While the theoretical properties of metamaterials were first described in the 1960s, in the past 10-15 years there have been significant developments in the design, engineering and fabrication of such materials.

A metamaterial typically consists of a multitude of unit cells, i.e. multiple individual elements (sometimes referred to as meta-atoms) that each has a size much smaller than the wavelength of operation. These unit cells are microscopically built from conventional materials such as metals and dielectrics. Their exact shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement can macroscopically affect light in an unconventional manner, such as creating resonances or unusual values for macroscopic permittivity and permeability.

At MTI we design and fabricate metamaterials in order to create novel devices and products with unprecedented and exotic properties. We focus mainly on visible and microwave frequency ranges, developing the first practical affordable applications of metamaterials for society.