While the majority of the previous BIC research focused on single-layer metasurfaces, multilayer BIC metasurfaces offer additional degrees of freedom that can significantly improve the
Q-factors, field localization and enable controllability over polarization states. In the simplest scenario, a pair of identical metasurfaces can act as meta-mirrors, introducing a phase delay to form a Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity. In this configuration, the electric field is more strongly confined near the metasurfaces rather than being localized inside the FP cavity
294. Notably, the
Q-factors associated with singular points in frequency space can exceed those of traditional FP cavities, despite having shorter cavity lengths. Multilayer metasurfaces also hold significant promise for generating chiral and arbitrarily polarized emissions
155,295. For instance, by precisely manipulating the spacing between bi-layer metasurfaces, where each individual layer exhibits linear polarization, high-purity chiral emission can be achieved
296. In the future, BIC or quasi-BIC lasing with arbitrarily polarized emission may become feasible through micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), enabling precise control of the interlayer distance and twisting angle of bi-layer structures. In another direction, Moiré BIC metasurfaces capable of supporting flatbands with high
Q-factors over a wide wavevector range could improve coupling efficiency especially with diffusive light sources and provide greater angular control in optoelectronic applications such as light-emitting devices. However, experimental studies of multilayer BIC metasurfaces remain limited, primarily due to the need for multistep lithography with precise nanoscale alignment. Patterning metasurfaces on two sides of a substrate
297, or embedded nanostructures in a cladding layer
298 have been proposed that often lead to compromised performance due to the reduced the index-contrast between the meta-atoms and surrounding environment, optical losses and unwanted scattering. Very recently, two-step electron beam lithography followed by selective development process have demonstrated the feasibility of free-standing stacked bilayer TiO
2 metasurfaces
299. Overcoming these challenges will inspire more innovative designs for high-performance photonic cavities. For scalable Moiré BIC metasurfaces, large-scale and low-cost fabrication techniques for 3D metasurfaces such as nanoimprint lithography
300, self-assembled colloidal crystals
301 or high-resolution 3D printing via two-photon polymerization
302 could offer promising routes. To extend the library of compatible materials with these methods, critical factors such as material quality, controllable domain size, chemical, thermal and mechanical stability should be engineered on demands. Motivated by the recent achievement of strong coupling between BIC photon and single-photon emitters at elevated temperatures
205, the integration of multiple quantum emitters with BIC cavities will represent a major milestone in quantum photonics. Such systems could unlock a range of quantum phenomena including quantum entanglement, subradiance and superradiance at elevated temperatures, paving the way toward scalable quantum technologies. A key advantage of BIC cavities lies in their high
Q-factor and large mode volume with field hotspots distributed across the metasurfaces, offering multiple active sites for positioning quantum emitters. The primary challenge remains the deterministic positioning of
indistinguishable quantum emitters in a cavity. The fabrication must ensure the long coherence time, long-term memory and high-fidelity operation. While atomic force microscope indentation and electron beam irradiation have demonstrated their potential in generating arrays of quantum emitters in van der Waals materials
303,304, the generated emitters have varying characteristics (emission wavelength, polarization, spin). Further effort along the line of developing advanced fabrication methods will be critical to establish the entanglement between two or more cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) units that, subsequently, can be integrated into a more complex quantum system. An alternative route is via BIC polariton condensation, where polaritons condensate into the same quantum state, resembling quantum systems. The realization of polariton lasers and Bose-Einstein condensates have inspired a range of applications in quantum information processing and quantum optics, including polariton simulators, neuromorphic computing and polariton qubits
305,306. In this regard, BIC polaritons offer big advantages in scalable quantum photonic applications due to their long lifetime inherited from the BIC photons that promotes long-range propagation and long-range interaction between BIC polaritons.