A microelectromechanically controlled cavity optomechanical sensing system

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel MEMS cavity optomechanical sensing system with high sensitivity, tunable coupling, and feedback control, enabling quantum-limited measurements in a compact, integrated platform.

Contribution

It introduces a new integrated MEMS cavity optomechanical sensor with adjustable coupling and feedback control, achieving high sensitivity and broad bandwidth.

Findings

Displacement sensitivity of 4.6 fm/Hz^1/2

Force sensitivity of 53 aN/Hz^1/2

Bandwidth extended above 40 kHz

Abstract

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have been applied to many measurement problems in physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. In parallel, cavity optomechanical systems have achieved quantum-limited displacement sensitivity and ground state cooling of nanoscale objects. By integrating a novel cavity optomechanical structure into an actuated MEMS sensing platform, we demonstrate a system with high quality-factor interferometric readout, electrical tuning of the optomechanical coupling by two orders of magnitude, and a mechanical transfer function adjustable via feedback. The platform separates optical and mechanical components, allowing flexible customization for specific scientific and commercial applications. We achieve displacement sensitivity of 4.6 fm/Hz^1/2 and force sensitivity of 53 aN/Hz^1/2 with only 250 nW optical power launched into the sensor. Cold-damping feedback is used to reduce the thermal mechanical vibration of the sensor by 3 orders of magnitude and to broaden the sensor bandwidth by approximately the same factor, to above twice the fundamental frequency of \approx 40 kHz. The readout sensitivity approaching the standard quantum limit is combined with MEMS actuation in a fully integrated, compact, low power, stable system compatible with Si batch fabrication and electronics integration.