Nanomechanical resonant structures as tunable passive modulators of light
- 7 May 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 80 (19) , 3617-3619
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1479209
Abstract
We report on the optical parametric excitation of silicon nanomechanical resonant structures. The threshold laser power needed to set these structures into self-oscillation was estimated to be around 70 μW. We measured resonant frequencies of up to 38 MHz by optical excitation; this method should extend to much higher frequencies. Under optical amplification of motion, the spectral response at resonance narrowed to the equivalent of a mechanical quality factor >20 000 at room temperature. These structures act as frequency tunable passive modulators of light, requiring no additional drive.Keywords
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