Subwavelength waveguide opto-mechanical resonator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11073412-B2
Application number	US-201916664418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2019
Priority date	Oct 26, 2018
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

An opto-mechanical resonator including a waveguide formed by a plurality of first strips spaced apart from one another; and two mirrors disposed facing one another, which mirrors are optically reflective over at least part of a guide wavelength range of the waveguide. The waveguide extends between the two mirrors, and forms therewith an optically resonant cavity. At least part of the waveguide is held such that it is suspended over a substrate by at least one deformable mechanical element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An opto-mechanical resonator comprising a waveguide formed by a plurality of first strips spaced apart from one another, wherein:
the opto-mechanical resonator comprises at least two mirrors disposed facing one another, which mirrors are optically reflective over at least part of a guide wavelength range of the waveguide;
the waveguide extends between the two mirrors, and forms therewith an optically resonant cavity; and
a suspended region, comprising at least part of the waveguide, is held such that it is suspended over a substrate by at least one deformable mechanical element, and
when undergoing deformation by way of the deformable mechanical element, the suspended region does not comprise a straight line but a curved line instead, resulting in a variation of the resonant wavelength of the opto-mechanical resonator.

2. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 1 , wherein the deformable mechanical element is fixed relative to the substrate, at least at one of the ends thereof along an axis parallel to the waveguide.

3. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 1 , wherein at least one deformable mechanical element comprises at least one arm, which extends along at least one axis parallel to the waveguide.

4. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 3 , wherein at least one deformable mechanical element comprises two arms, laterally framing the suspended region.

5. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 3 , wherein at least one deformable mechanical element comprises at least two series of segments, and wherein, in each series, the segments are distributed along an axis parallel to the waveguide and separated, in pairs, at least by a gap filled with a gas or a vacuum.

6. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 3 , wherein at least one deformable mechanical element comprises a deformable membrane, forming a support for the suspended region.

7. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 1 , wherein said mirrors are Bragg mirrors.

8. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 7 , wherein each of said Bragg mirrors comprises a plurality of second strips, each of which is made of the same material as the first strips of the waveguide.

9. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 7 , wherein at least part of at least one of said Bragg mirrors forms a part of the suspended region.

10. The opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 1 , wherein the first strips of the waveguide are distributed one after another according to a distribution pitch Λ such that:

Λ
<

λ
0

2
⁢

n
h

where λ 0 is the central wavelength of the guide wavelength range of the waveguide; and
n h is the average refractive index of the first strips.

11. A system comprising at least two opto-mechanical resonators, wherein:
each opto-mechanical resonator comprises an optically resonant cavity, formed by a waveguide arranged between two mirrors, with the waveguide comprising a plurality of first strips spaced apart from one another;
at least one of said opto-mechanical resonators forms an opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 1 ; and
the opto-mechanical resonators are optically coupled in pairs by evanescent coupling.

12. A measuring device comprising at least one opto-mechanical resonator according to claim 1 , and at least one optical sensor, the optical sensor being arranged so as to receive a light beam (F out ) emerging from the opto-mechanical resonator after having undergone a plurality of forward-return movements therein, and being capable of measuring a fluctuation, as a function of time, of a physical property of said light beam.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Taurel Boris
• Duraffourg Laurent
• Labeye Pierre

Classifications

• G01D5/28

  with deflection of beams of light, e.g. for direct optical indication (G01D5/40 takes precedence; {mechanical adjustment G01D5/264}) · CPC title

• G02B2006/12138

  Sensor · CPC title

• G02B6/12002

  Three-dimensional structures · CPC title

• G01D5/268 Primary

  using optical fibres (G01D5/28 - G01D5/38 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01P15/097

  by vibratory elements · CPC title