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Fabrication and Testing of Microfluidic Optomechanical Oscillators
Published on: May 29, 2014
Cavity optomechanics with stoichiometric SiN films
D J Wilson1, C A Regal, S B Papp
1Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|April 7, 2010
Summary
High-stress silicon nitride (SiN) films enable quantum regime exploration with mesoscopic oscillators. These films achieve record quality factor-frequency products and low optical absorption, crucial for quantum technologies.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- Materials science
- Optomechanics
Background:
- Reaching the quantum regime with mesoscopic oscillators requires high mechanical quality factors and frequencies.
- Room-temperature thermal baths impose stringent demands on oscillator performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate high-stress silicon nitride (SiN) films for mesoscopic oscillators.
- To achieve unprecedented quality factor-frequency products in SiN mechanical modes.
- To reduce optical absorption in SiN membranes for improved performance.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of high-stress SiN films.
- Characterization of mechanical modes and their quality factors (Q(m)) and frequencies (nu(m)).
- Measurement of optical absorption using a Fabry-Perot cavity.
Main Results:
- SiN films support mechanical modes with Q(m)nu(m) products >= 2 x 10(13) Hz.
- SiN membranes show a 15-fold reduction in optical absorption (Im(n) <= 10(-5) at 935 nm).
- An apparatus for simultaneous cooling of multiple mechanical modes was developed.
Conclusions:
- High-stress SiN films are promising for quantum regime applications.
- The achieved material properties significantly advance mesoscopic oscillator capabilities.
- The developed cooling apparatus shows potential for future quantum experiments.
