A Biologically-Inspired Nanoantenna Array

The concept of biomimetic antenna arrays which mimic the hearing mechanisms of insects with hyperacute directional hearing capabilities is extended to nanoantennas operating at optical wavelengths. A silicon-based biomimetic dielectric resonator antenna array operating at a wavelength of 1 mu m is demonstrated. Using full-wave electromagnetic simulations, the array is shown to exhibit enhanced sensitivity to the direction of arrival of light, compared with regular arrays with similar aperture sizes. This concept presents a novel means of conducting phase coherent measurements at THz, infrared, and optical wavelengths without using phase coherent detectors.