MEMS-enabled reconfigurable metasurface and nanophotonics: advances and perspectives

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have emerged as powerful technology for reconfigurable metasurface and nanophotonics, providing dynamic, low-power, and scalable control over optical functionalities that are inherently fixed in static nanophotonic devices. By introducing mechanical degrees of freedom, MEMS-enabled metasurface and nanophotonics allow real-time modulation of optical resonances, coupling strength, phase profiles, and radiation characteristics across a broad spectral range. This capability has opened new opportunities for adaptive sensing, tunable radiation sources, reconfigurable silicon photonic platforms, dynamic metalenses, and terahertz metasurfaces. In this Review, we present a comprehensive overview of recent advances in MEMS-enabled reconfigurable metasurface and nanophotonics, with a particular focus on application-driven developments in sensing, metasurface-based radiation sources, integrated silicon photonics, flat optics, and terahertz systems. Furthermore, we discuss emerging trends toward intelligent and programmable nanophotonic systems enabled by artificial intelligence–assisted design and closed-loop control. Finally, we outline the remaining challenges and future perspectives for translating MEMS-enabled reconfigurable nanophotonics from laboratory demonstrations to practical, large-scale applications.