Bound states in the continuum enabling ultra-narrowband perfect absorption

Abstract Resonant dielectric metasurfaces have been demonstrated to hold a great promise for manipulation of light-wave dispersion at the nanoscale due to their resonant photonic environment and high refractive index. However, the efficiency of devices based on dielectric nanostructures is usually limited by the quality ( Q ) factor of their resonant modes. The physics of the bound sates in the continuum (BICs) provide an elegant solution for control over the Q factor of resonant modes. Here, by engineering the substrate of Si-based metasurfaces, we demonstrate two eigenmodes that exhibit an intrinsic magnetic dipole (MD)character and have an infinite radiation lifetime. We reveal that they are characterized by in-plane and out-of-plane MD modes and respectively correspond to two groups of BICs, that is, Fabry–Pérot BICs and symmetry-protected BICs. Using temporal coupled-mode theory and numerical simulations, we show that these BIC modes can transform into high- Q quasi-BIC resonances with near-unity absorption under normal incidence through tuning structural parameters. Our work provides a promising route to use BIC-inspired metasurfaces for designing ultra-narrowband absorbers which can be used as absorption filters, photodetectors, and sensors.