Open AccessTransduction of large optomechanical amplitudes with racetrack-loaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers
Author(s) -
Jocelyn N. WestwoodBachman,
Matthew P Maksymowych,
Vien Van,
Wayne K. Hiebert
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.396971
Subject(s) - resonator , photonics , optics , optomechanics , interferometry , astronomical interferometer , responsivity , sensitivity (control systems) , mach–zehnder interferometer , physics , optoelectronics , transduction (biophysics) , materials science , photodetector , electronic engineering , engineering , biochemistry , chemistry
Chip-integrated photonic devices have stimulated development in areas ranging from telecommunications to optomechanics. Racetrack resonators have gained popularity for optomechanical transduction due to their high sensitivity and cavity finesse. However, they lack sufficient dynamic range to read out large amplitude mechanical resonators, which are preferred for sensing applications. We present a robust photonic circuit based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) combined with a racetrack resonator that increases linear range without compromising high transduction sensitivity. Optical and mechanical properties of combined MZI-racetrack devices are compared to lone racetracks with the same physical dimensions in the undercoupled, overcoupled and critical coupled regimes. We demonstrate an overall improvement in dynamic range, transduction responsivity, and mass sensitivity of up to 4x, 3x and 2.8x, respectively. Our highly phase sensitive MZI circuit also enables applications such as on-chip optical homodyning.