Release-free electro-optomechanical crystal modulator

TL;DR

This paper presents a release-free electro-optomechanical transducer that combines silicon and lithium niobate, enabling quantum-level microwave-optical transduction with improved thermal stability.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate a novel release-free integration of silicon and lithium niobate for electro-optomechanical transduction, advancing practical quantum microwave-optical interfaces.

Findings

Achieved electro- and optomechanical coupling rates compatible with quantum-level operation.

Integrated silicon optomechanical structures with lithium niobate using micro-transfer printing.

Enhanced thermal stability compared to release-based devices.

Abstract

Electro-optic modulation is central to classical optical communications and emerging quantum technologies. High-confinement optomechanical crystal modulators enable microwave-optical transduction through strong optomechanical interactions and offer a promising interface between superconducting qubits and optical fibers. However, their performance is limited by thermal noise from optical absorption. Release-free optomechanical crystals provide improved thermal anchoring but have not yet been integrated into a microwave-optical transducer. Here, we demonstrate a release-free electro-optomechanical transducer combining strong optomechanical interactions in silicon with the efficient piezoelectricity of lithium niobate via micro-transfer printing. We observe electro- and optomechanical coupling rates compatible with quantum-level operation when co-integrated with a superconducting microwave circuit. This advance moves release-free electro-optomechanical devices toward practical microwave-optical interfaces.