GHz optomechanical resonators with high mechanical Q factor in air

TL;DR

This paper presents silicon optomechanical resonators operating at gigahertz frequencies in air, achieving high optical finesse and mechanical quality factors, enabling efficient transduction in ambient conditions.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate high-frequency silicon optomechanical resonators with high optical and mechanical Q factors functioning in ambient air, a significant step for practical applications.

Findings

Optical Q factor above 500,000 in air

Mechanical Q factor around 4,000 at 1.35 GHz

Efficient transduction of mechanical modes in ambient conditions

Abstract

We demonstrate wheel-shaped silicon optomechanical resonators for resonant operation in ambient air. The high finesse of optical whispering gallery modes (loaded optical Q factor above 500,000) allows for efficient transduction of the wheel resonator's mechanical radial contour modes of frequency up to 1.35 GHz with high mechanical Q factor around 4,000 in air.