Review on all-dielectric metasurface encryption technology

Quantum computing poses a potential threat to traditional encryption algorithms, making the development of new high-security information protection technologies crucial. Metasurfaces, capable of precisely controlling multiple degrees of freedom of the light field at subwavelength scales, offer an innovative platform for next-generation optical encryption. However, the inherent Ohmic losses, environmental sensitivity, and wavelength limitations of metal metasurfaces severely restrict their practical applications. Consequently, researchers have shifted focus to all-dielectric metasurface encryption, which offers significant advantages such as low loss, high stability, wideband response, and CMOS compatibility. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the research advancements in all-dielectric metasurface encryption, deeply analyzing the encryption mechanisms and application breakthroughs of materials such as silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon nitride, titanium dioxide, and other emerging dielectric materials. The review emphasizes multi-degree-of-freedom collaborative encryption strategies, dynamic control technologies, and multilayer protection architectures. Finally, the paper discusses future directions such as chip-level integration, cross-band multi-physics fusion, and AI-assisted design.