Active and Tunable Nanophotonics With Dielectric Nanoantennas

In recent years, high-index dielectric nanoantennas supporting Mie resonances have emerged as a promising platform to create low-loss nanophotonic devices. The multipolar resonances naturally supported by this kind of nanoantennas allow designing systems in which the out-coupling radiation, and in particular the directivity, can be tailored at will. Moreover, unlike plasmonic counterparts, local electromagnetic fields in resonant dielectric nanoparticles concentrate inside the structures rather than outside. This allows enhancing light–matter interactions in their volume and boosting their linear and nonlinear optical properties by choosing suitable semiconductors as the material platform to build them. In this article, we will discuss recent results on active and tunable nanophotonics based on resonant dielectric and semiconductor nanostructures. Specifically, we will focus on two main topics: active tuning of dielectric nanoantennas and enhancement and spectral shaping of light emission using dielectric nanoantennas, including lasing. Finally, future research directions and proposed practical applications will also be discussed.