Implementation of optical dielectric metamaterials: A review

•State-of-the-art fabrication techniques for dielectric metamaterials are reviewed.•The limitations of each fabrication technique are evaluated.•Obstacles impeding fabrication of macroscale metamaterials are discussed.

Metamaterials are a class of man-made materials with exotic electromagnetic properties. The ability to fabricate three-dimensional macroscale metamaterials would enable embedding these structures in engineering applications and devices, to take advantage of their unique properties. This paper reviews the implementation of optical Mie resonance-based dielectric (MRD) metamaterials, as opposed to the more commonly used metallic-based metamaterials. Design constraints are derived based on Mie theory and related to fabrication specifications. Techniques to fabricate optical dielectric metamaterials are reviewed, including electron-beam lithography, focused ion beam lithography, nanoimprint lithography, and directed self-assembly. The limitations of each fabrication method are critically evaluated in light of the design constraints. The challenges that must be overcome to achieve fabrication and implementation of macroscale three-dimensional MRD metamaterials are discussed.