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  • Featured in Physics
  • Open Access

Ultralow-Noise SiN Trampoline Resonators for Sensing and Optomechanics

Christoph Reinhardt, Tina Müller†, Alexandre Bourassa, and Jack C. Sankey*

  • Department of Physics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2T8, Canada

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Phys. Rev. X 6, 021001 – Published 1 April, 2016Erratum Phys. Rev. X 7, 039901 (2017)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.6.021001

Abstract

In force sensing, optomechanics, and quantum motion experiments, it is typically advantageous to create lightweight, compliant mechanical elements with the lowest possible force noise. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of high-aspect-ratio, nanogram-scale Si3N4 “trampolines” having quality factors above 4×107 and ringdown times exceeding 5 min (mHz linewidth). These devices exhibit thermally limited force noise sensitivities below 20  aN/Hz1/2 at room temperature, which is the lowest among solid-state mechanical sensors. We also characterize the suitability of these devices for high-finesse cavity readout and optomechanics applications, finding no evidence of surface or bulk optical losses from the processed nitride in a cavity achieving finesse 40,000. These parameters provide access to a single-photon cooperativity C0∼8 in the resolved-sideband limit, wherein a variety of outstanding optomechanics goals become feasible.

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Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Erratum

Erratum: Ultralow-Noise SiN Trampoline Resonators for Sensing and Optomechanics [Phys. Rev. X 6, 021001 (2016)]

Christoph Reinhardt, Tina Müller, Alexandre Bourassa, and Jack C. Sankey
Phys. Rev. X 7, 039901 (2017)

Viewpoint

Trampolines Sense a Disturbance in the Force

Published 18 April, 2016

Researchers have engineered trampoline resonators that may be able to sense extremely weak forces and display quantum behavior at ambient temperatures.

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Popular Summary

Ultrasensitive force measurements and optomechanics experiments typically call for lightweight, low-noise, and optically pristine mechanical elements. Here, we present delicate, nanogram-scale “trampoline” mechanical sensors achieving attonewton force sensitivity and extremely low optical absorption. The demonstrated parameters will, in principle, enable extremely low levels of laser light (i.e., an average of a single photon) to strongly influence their mechanical trajectories.

Our batch-fabricated sensors comprise a sub-100-nm-thick “pad” supported by millimeter-long, microns-wide “tethers” fabricated from silicon nitride. In vacuum 10−6  torr, these structures ring for approximately 6 min and are accordingly sensitive to attonewton forces at room temperature. Additionally, the spring constants of these sensors are 2–4 orders of magnitude larger than those of comparably sensitive devices, making them promising candidates for nanoscale sensing geometries in which floppier cantilevers might stick to the sample. Their comparatively large surface area provides a platform upon which a wide variety of probes or other on-chip systems can be fabricated, which makes them well suited for many force sensing and materials dissipation studies. Finally, we show that these devices absorb very little light at telecom wavelengths, making them compatible with ultrasensitive interferometry and optomechanics experiments.

We expect that our work will pave the way for future studies of quantum motion with macroscopic solid objects.

See Also

Mechanical Resonators for Quantum Optomechanics Experiments at Room Temperature

R. A. Norte, J. P. Moura, and S. Gröblacher
Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 147202 (2016)

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. X 6, 021001– Published 1 April, 2016
  • Received 5 November 2015
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This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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