OPTICAL AND OPTOMECHANICAL RESONATORS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN COMMUNICATION AND SENSING

The radiation pressure of the large circulating optical power inside micro-scale high quality factor Whispering-Gallery mode micoresonators couples the mechanical deformation of the resonator structure to the optical resonance. This coupling results in damping or amplification of the corresponding mechanical modes. Self-sustained mechanical oscillation takes place when the optomechanical gain becomes larger than mechanical loss. In this dissertation, several applications of optomechanical oscillator (OMO) in communication and sensing are proposed and explored using silica microtoroid resonator. First we investigate the spectrum of the OMO and define weak\u27 and \u27strong\u27 harmonic generation regimes based on two distinct spectral behaviors. In weak harmonic regime, an analytical method is proposed to optimize the spectral behavior of an OMO for RF-photonic communication systems. In the strong harmonic regime, we show that OMO spectrum can be used in a read-out system for resonant optical sensing applications. Next, we explore optomechanical RF mixing and its application in RF-photonics. We study optomechanical RF mixing using coupled differential equations as well as a semi-analytical model that simplifies the calculation of mixed frequency components. Furthermore, optomechanical down-conversion of various waveforms and audio signal from an RF carrier are demonstrated. Here for the first time we show that an OMO can function as a high-resolution mass sensor based on optomechanical oscillation frequency shift. In an OMO based mass sensor, optical power simultaneously servers as an efficient actuator and a sensitive probe for monitoring optomechanical oscillation frequency variations. The narrow linewidth of optomechanical oscillation and the small effective mass of the corresponding mechanical mode result in sub-pg mass sensitivity. We analyze the performance of microtoroid OMO mass sensor and evaluate its ultimate detection limit. The outcomes of our study enable combination of resonant optical sensing with optomechanical sensing in a single device. This so-called \u27dual-mode\u27 sensing can be a powerful technique for measuring the properties (mass, density and refractive index) of micro/nano-particles and molecules. To boost the optical sensitivity of the dual-mode sensor, we also demonstrate a dynamic sensing method where the resonant photonic sensitivity is improved by over 50 times through thermally induced line narrowing

On-chip electro-optic tuning of a lithium niobate microresonator with integrated in-plane microelectrodes

We demonstrate electro-optic tuning of an on-chip lithium niobate microresonator with integrated in-plane microelectrodes. First two metallic microelectrodes on the substrate were formed via femtosecond laser process. Then a high-Q lithium niobate microresonator located between the microelectrodes was fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing accompanied by focused ion beam milling. Due to the efficient structure designing, high electro-optical tuning coefficient of 3.41 pm/V was observed.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

An Optomechanical Oscillator on a Silicon Chip

The recent observation on radiation-pressure-driven self-sustained oscillation in high-Q optical microresonators has created new possibilities for development of photonic devices that benefit from unique functionalities offered by these “optomechanical oscillators” (OMOs). Here, we review the physics, fundamental characteristics, and potential applications of OMOs using the silica microtoroidal OMO as an example

Ultra-efficient frequency comb generation in AlGaAs-on-insulator microresonators

Recent advances in nonlinear optics have revolutionized integrated photonics, providing on-chip solutions to a wide range of new applications. Currently, state of the art integrated nonlinear photonic devices are mainly based on dielectric material platforms, such as Si₃N₄ and SiO₂. While semiconductor materials feature much higher nonlinear coefficients and convenience in active integration, they have suffered from high waveguide losses that prevent the realization of efficient nonlinear processes on-chip. Here, we challenge this status quo and demonstrate a low loss AlGaAs-on-insulator platform with anomalous dispersion and quality (Q) factors beyond 1.5 × 10⁶. Such a high quality factor, combined with high nonlinear coefficient and small mode volume, enabled us to demonstrate a Kerr frequency comb threshold of only ∼36 µW in a resonator with a 1 THz free spectral range, ∼100 times lower compared to that in previous semiconductor platforms. Moreover, combs with broad spans (>250 nm) have been generated with a pump power of ∼300 µW, which is lower than the threshold power of state-of the-art dielectric micro combs. A soliton-step transition has also been observed for the first time in an AlGaAs resonator

Super FSR tunable optical microbubble resonator

An optical resonator is often called fully tunable if its tunable range exceeds the spectral interval that contains the resonances at all the characteristic modes of this resonator. For the high Q-factor spheroidal and toroidal microresonators, this interval coincides with the azimuthal free spectral range. In this Letter, we demonstrate the first mechanically fully tunable spheroidal microresonator created of a silica microbubble having a 100 micron order radius and a micron order wall thickness. The tunable bandwidth of this resonator is more than two times greater than its azimuthal free spectral range