Optical-microwave-quantum transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9296609-B2
Application number	US-201414158317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Sep 3, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

An optical-microwave-quantum transducer can include a first nanophotonic slab and a second nanophotonic slab. Each of the first and second nanophotonic slabs can include an optical region and a superconducting region. The first nanophotonic slab can include a pair of torsional beams anchored to a substrate to allow relative rotation between the first and second nanophotonic slabs about an axis of rotation. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer can include a gap between the optical region of the first and second nanophotonic slabs that forms an optical cavity in response to an optical signal, wherein the optical cavity can induce mechanical oscillation of the first nanophotonic slab about the axis of rotation. The mechanical oscillation can induce electrical modulation on a superconducting cavity coupled to the superconducting regions of the first and second nanophotonic slabs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical-microwave-quantum transducer comprising:
a first nanophotonic slab and a second nanophotonic slab, wherein each of the first and second nanophotonic slabs includes an optical region and a superconducting region;
the first nanophotonic slab further comprising a pair of torsional beams anchored to a substrate to facilitate relative rotation between the first and second nanophotonic slabs about an axis of rotation;
wherein a gap between the optical region of the first and second nanophotonic slabs forms an optical cavity in response to an optical signal, wherein the optical cavity induces mechanical oscillation of the first nanophotonic slab about the axis of rotation; and
wherein the mechanical oscillation induces electrical modulation on a superconducting cavity coupled to the superconducting regions of the first and second nanophotonic slabs.

2. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 1 , wherein electrical modulation on the superconducting cavity induces mechanical oscillation of the first nanophotonic slab about the axis of rotation, wherein the mechanical oscillation induces excitation in the optical cavity.

3. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 2 , wherein the excitation induced in the optical cavity induces an optical signal on an optical channel.

4. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 2 , wherein the superconducting cavity is a superconducting LC circuit.

5. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 4 , wherein a capacitor of the superconducting LC circuit comprises a first plate of superconducting material overlaying the first nanophotonic slab and a second plate of superconducting material overlaying the second nanophotonic slab.

6. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 4 , wherein an inductor of the superconducting LC is conductively coupled to the capacitor and is spatially separated from the capacitor.

7. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 6 , wherein the inductor is a spiral inductor.

8. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 7 , wherein the inductor is centered-tapped by a trace coupled to the first plate of the capacitor.

9. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 2 , wherein the optical region of the second nanophotonic slab is coupled to an optical channel.

10. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 2 , wherein the optical region of the first and second nanophotonic slabs comprises a lattice of holes disposed therein.

11. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 10 , wherein the lattice of holes of the first and second nanophotonic slabs each have a hexagonal shape.

12. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 1 , wherein the optical-microwave-quantum transducer has an optomechanical coupling rate characterized by:

G
om

=

∂

ω
o

∂
x

wherein:
G om is the optomechanical coupling rate that characterizes the relationship of the frequency of photons in the optical cavity and the linear displacement between the first nanophotonic slab and the second nanophotonic slab;
ω 0 is the frequency, in radians of the photons in the optical cavity; and
x is the distance, in nanometers, of the linear displacement of the first nanophotonic slab relative to the second nanophotonic slab.

13. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 1 , wherein the optical-microwave-quantum transducer has an optomechanical coupling rate characterized by:

G
em

=

∂

ω
e

∂
x

wherein:
G em is the electromechanical coupling rate that characterizes the relationship of the frequency of electrical modulation in the superconducting cavity and linear displacement between the first nanophotonic slab and the second nanophotonic slab;

ω e is the frequency, in radians, of the modulation in the superconducting cavity; and
x is the distance, in nanometers, of the linear displacement of the first nanophotonic slab relative to the second nanophotonic slab.

14. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 1 , wherein the optical-microwave-quantum transducer has a torsional frequency characterized by:

Ω
m

=

κ

I
p

wherein:
Ω m is the torsional frequency of the optical-microwave-quantum transducer;
κ is the torsional spring constant of the first nanophotonic slab; and
I p is the total moment of inertia of the first nanophotonic slab.

15. The optical-microwave-quantum transducer of claim 14 , wherein the torsional spring constant of the first nanophotonic slab is characterized by:

κ
=

2
⁢
μ
⁢

⁢

h
r

⁢

w
r
3

l
r

⁡

[

1
3

-

0.21
⁢

w
r

h
r

⁢

(

1
-

h
r
4

12
⁢

⁢

w
r

Assignees

• Park Jae I
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Park Jae I

Classifications

• B81B3/0029 Primary

  Transducers for transforming light into mechanical energy or viceversa · CPC title

• B82Y20/00 Primary

  Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals · CPC title