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Published November 2012 | Submitted + Supplemental Material
Journal Article Open

A high-resolution microchip optomechanical accelerometer

Abstract

The monitoring of acceleration is essential for a variety of applications ranging from inertial navigation to consumer electronics. Typical accelerometer operation involves the sensitive displacement measurement of a flexibly mounted test mass, which can be realized using capacitive, piezo-electric, tunnel-current or optical methods. Although optical detection provides superior displacement resolution, resilience to electromagnetic interference and long-range readout, current optical accelerometers either do not allow for chip-scale integration or utilize relatively bulky test mass sensors of low bandwidth. Here, we demonstrate an optomechanical accelerometer that makes use of ultrasensitive displacement readout using a photonic-crystal nanocavity monolithically integrated with a nanotethered test mass of high mechanical Q-factor This device achieves an acceleration resolution of 10 µg Hz^(−1/2) with submilliwatt optical power, bandwidth greater than 20 kHz and a dynamic range of greater than 40 dB. Moreover, the nanogram test masses used here allow for strong optomechanical backaction, setting the stage for a new class of motional sensors.

Additional Information

© 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Received 25 March 2012; Accepted 06 September 2012; Published online 14 October 2012. This work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration QuASaR program through a grant from the Army Research Office. T.D.B. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (grant no. 0703267). Author contributions: A.G.K., M.W. and T.D.B. performed sample design, fabrication, optical measurements and data analysis. O.P. and Q.L. developed the device concept and supervised measurements and analysis. All authors worked together on writing the manuscript.

Attached Files

Submitted - 1203.5730v1.pdf

Supplemental Material - nphoton.2012.245-s1.pdf

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August 19, 2023
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