Broadband epsilon-near-zero metamaterials with steplike metal-dielectric multilayer structures

The concept of the broadband epsilon-near-zero meta-atom consisting of layered stacks with specified metallic filling ratio and thickness is proposed based on the Bergman spectral representation of the effective permittivity. The steplike metal-dielectric multilayer structures are designed to achieve realistic broadband epsilon-near-zero meta-atoms in optical frequency range. These meta-atoms can be integrated as building blocks for unconventional optical components with exotic electromagnetic properties over a wide frequency range, such as the demonstrated broadband directional emission and phase front shaping.