In this talk I will outline two ongoing experiments at the intersection of optomechanics, nonlinear optics, and quantum electromechanics. First I will show our results on simultaneous confinement of acoustic and optical waves on the surface of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chips. While silicon on insulator (SOI) is a natural platform for photonics, it is not as well suited for on-chip phononics and acoustic waveguiding. The high index contrast between silicon and silica glass readily allows for confinement of optical fields to the silicon device layer. But silicon's relative stiffness -- and therefore high sound velocity -- makes guiding acoustic waves challenging. The intuition of "index-guided'' confinement of mechanical modes fails for sub-wavelength structures. The second effort I will present is our work on heterogeneous integration of Lithium Niobate with silicon photonic and superconducting circuits for implementation of microwave-to-optical converters.


Seminar, July 4, 2016, 15:00. ICFO Auditorium

Hosted by ICFO Master School on Quantum Nano- and Opto-mechanics