Mechanically Compliant Grating Reflectors for Optomechanics
Optics
2015-05-28 v1 Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Abstract
We demonstrate micromechanical reflectors with a reflectivity as large as 99.4% and a mechanical quality factor Q as large as 7.8*10^5 for optomechanical applications. The reflectors are silicon nitride membranes patterned with sub-wavelength grating structures, obviating the need for the many dielectric layers used in conventional mirrors. We have employed the reflectors in the construction of a Fabry-Perot cavity with a finesse as high as F=1200, and used the optical response to probe the mechanical properties of the membrane. By driving the cavity with light detuned to the high-frequency side of a cavity resonance, we create an optical antidamping force that causes the reflector to self-oscillate at 211 kHz.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1107.3170,
title = {Mechanically Compliant Grating Reflectors for Optomechanics},
author = {Utku Kemiktarak and Michael Metcalfe and Mathieu Durand and John Lawall},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1107.3170},
year = {2015}
}