Building a Nanophone: Detecting Surface Acoustic Waves with an Optomechanical Cavity
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- A technique is presented for detecting surface acoustic waves on a Silicon-on-Oxide chip using a nanomechanical resonator coupled to an optical cavity. Recent advances in cavity optomechanics have generated interest in using on-chip devices for a variety of practical applications, creating a new way to design mass or force sensors, on-chip LIDAR systems, and Bragg cells to name a few. These devices have the dual benefit of being extremely sensitive and relatively easy to integrate with other silicon photonic or electrical components. In this paper, we attempt to photoacoustically excite surface acoustic waves (or SAWs) on chip by focusing a small laser beam on a thin film of aluminum. Then, we try to use a fin cavity device, comprised of an optical waveguide with two mechanical fin resonators on either side, to measure any resulting SAWs. Essentially, we aim to create an extremely sensitive SAW microphone. We determine that it is possible to detect the increased intensity fluctuations on the mechanical resonator due to its interaction with waves generated from a photoacoustic event. However, at this time we cannot prove that we have evidence of SAW detection. There are many promising applications of a SAW microphone; among them is the possibility to resolve individual chemical reaction events by ‘listening’ for their SAW signature. A device that is capable of sensitive SAW measurement would be of great interest to those studying chemical reactions, small biological processes, and RF electronics.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 22, 2018 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Drimmer, Max |
|---|---|
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Department of Physics |
| Primary advisor | Safavi-Naeini, Amir |
| Advisor | Hollberg, Leo |
Subjects
| Subject | Cavity |
|---|---|
| Subject | Optomechanics |
| Subject | Optomechanical |
| Subject | Physics |
| Subject | Applied Physics |
| Subject | Surface Acoustic Wave |
| Subject | SAW |
| Subject | detector |
| Subject | fin waveguide |
| Subject | fin |
| Subject | fin cavity |
| Subject | mechanical resonator |
| Subject | photoacoustic |
| Subject | photo |
| Subject | acoustic |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Drimmer, Max. (2018). Building a Nanophone: Detecting Surface Acoustic Waves with an Optomechanical Cavity. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/rn338fy1739
Collection
Undergraduate Theses, Department of Physics
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- Contact
- max.drimmer@gmail.com
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