Short-wavelength MEMS-tunable VCSELs

Cole, Garrett D.; Behymer, Elaine; Bond, Tiziana C.; Goddard, Lynford L.

doi:10.1364/oe.16.016093

Cited by 24 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…50), but are yet to be considered for quantum optomechanical applications. Typically, these devices employ plane-parallel geometries, which places a severe constraint on the minimum lateral dimensions of the suspended mirror structure in order to minimize diffraction losses (51).…”

Section: Experimental Feasibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The small-mode-volume cavity considered here provides the bandwidth necessary to accommodate the short optical pulses and additionally offers a large optomechanical coupling rate. One technical challenge associated with these microcavities is fabrication with sufficient tolerance to achieve the desired optical resonance (under the assumption of a limited range of working wavelength), however this can be overcome by incorporating electrically controlled tunability of the cavity length (50,52,53). For a mechanical resonator with eigenfrequency ω M ∕2π ¼ 500 kHz and effective mass m ¼ 10 ng, the mechanical groundstate size is x 0 ¼ ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ℏ∕mω M p ≃ 1.8 fm and optomechanical coupling proceeds at g 0 ∕2π ¼ ω c ðx 0 ∕ ffiffi ffi 2 p LÞ∕2π ≃ 86 kHz, where ω c is the mean cavity frequency and L is the mean cavity length.…”

Section: Experimental Feasibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pulsed quantum optomechanics

Vanner

Pikovski

Cole

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

278

355

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Studying mechanical resonators via radiation pressure offers a rich avenue for the exploration of quantum mechanical behavior in a macroscopic regime. However, quantum state preparation and especially quantum state reconstruction of mechanical oscillators remains a significant challenge. Here we propose a scheme to realize quantum state tomography, squeezing, and state purification of a mechanical resonator using short optical pulses. The scheme presented allows observation of mechanical quantum features despite preparation from a thermal state and is shown to be experimentally feasible using optical microcavities. Our framework thus provides a promising means to explore the quantum nature of massive mechanical oscillators and can be applied to other systems such as trapped ions.optomechanics | quantum measurement | squeezed states C oherent quantum mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement and superposition, are not apparent in the macroscopic realm. It is currently held that on large scales quantum mechanical behavior is masked by decoherence (1) or that quantum mechanical laws may even require modification (2-5). Despite substantial experimental advances, see for example ref. 6, probing this regime remains extremely challenging. Recently however, it has been proposed to utilize the precision and control of quantum optical fields in order to investigate the quantum nature of massive mechanical resonators by means of the radiation-pressure interaction (7-13). Quantum state preparation and the ability to probe the dynamics of mechanical oscillators, the most rigorous method being quantum state tomography, are essential for such investigations. These important elements have been experimentally realized for various quantum systems, e.g., light (14, 15), trapped ions (16, 17), atomic ensemble spin (18,19), and intracavity microwave fields (20). By contrast, an experiment realizing both quantum state preparation and tomography of a mechanical resonator is yet to be achieved. Also, schemes that can probe quantum features without full tomography [e.g., (9, 10, 21)] are similarly challenging. In nanoelectromechanics, cooling of resonator motion and preparation of the ground state have been observed (22, 23) but quantum state reconstruction (24) remains outstanding. In cavity optomechanics significant experimental progress has been made towards quantum state control over mechanical resonators (11-13), which includes classical phase-space monitoring (25,26), laser cooling close to the ground state (27, 28), and low noise continuous measurement of mechanically induced phase fluctuations (29-31). Still, quantum state preparation is technically difficult primarily due to thermal bath coupling and weak radiation-pressure interaction strength, and quantum state reconstruction remains little explored. Thus far, a common theme in proposals for mechanical state reconstruction is state transfer to and then read-out of an auxillary quantum system (32)(33)(34)(35). This technique is a technically demanding approach and remains a c...

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Section: Experimental Feasibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Feasibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Pulsed quantum optomechanics

Vanner

Pikovski

Cole

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

278

355

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 illustrates a three-dimensional cutaway view of the device employed in this work. The laser cavity employs a thin wide-gain InP-based multi-quantum well (MQW) active region joined by wafer bonding to a wideband bottom GaAs-based fully oxidised Al x O y -GaAs mirror, with tuning enabled via the integration of a dielectric micromechanical actuator similar to that presented in [5]. In this configuration, the top dielectric mirror is separated from the underlying ‘half-VCSEL’ structure by an air-gap which is tuned by electrostatic actuation.…”

Section: Device Structure and Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-sweep-rate 1310 nm MEMS-VCSEL with 150 nm continuous tuning range

et al. 2012

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Microelectromechanical-systems-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (MEMS-VCSELs) capable of a 150 nm continuous tuning range near 1310 nm are demonstrated. These devices employ a thin optically pumped active region structure with large free-spectral range, which promotes wide and continuous tuning. To achieve VCSEL emission at 1310 nm, a wide-gain-bandwidth indium phosphide-based multiple quantum well active region is combined with a wide-bandwidth fully oxidised GaAs-based mirror through wafer bonding, with tuning enabled by a suspended dielectric top mirror. These devices are capable of being scanned over the entire tuning range at frequencies up to 500 kHz, making them ideal for applications such as swept source optical coherence tomography and high-speed transient spectroscopy.

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“…Although MEMS-VCSELs were first conceived in the mid 1990's 6,7 , development efforts in the field until 2009 were driven primarily by telecommunications and narrow-tuning spectroscopic applications [8][9][10] . In 2009, Praevium Research, Advanced Optical Microsystems, commercial partner Thorlabs, and academic partner Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began developing a swept source based on amplified MEMS-VCSELs, targeting SS-OCT as a primary application.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in MEMS-VCSELs for high performance structural and functional SS-OCT imaging

et al. 2014

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Since the first demonstration of swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) imaging using widely tunable micro-electromechanical systems vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (MEMS-VCSELs) in 2011, VCSEL-based SS-OCT has advanced in both device and system performance. These advances include extension of MEMS-VCSEL center wavelength to both 1060nm and 1300nm, improved tuning range and tuning speed, new SS-OCT imaging modes, and demonstration of the first electrically pumped devices. Optically pumped devices have demonstrated continuous singlemode tuning range of 150nm at 1300nm and 122nm at 1060nm, representing a fractional tuning range of 11.5%, which is nearly a factor of 3 greater than the best reported MEMS-VCSEL tuning ranges prior to 2011. These tuning ranges have also been achieved with wavelength modulation rates of >500kHz, enabling >1 MHz axial scan rates. In addition, recent electrically pumped devices have exhibited 48.5nm continuous tuning range around 1060nm with 890kHz axial scan rate, representing a factor of two increase in tuning over previously reported electrically pumped MEMS-VCSELs in this wavelength range. New imaging modes enabled by optically pumped devices at 1060nm and 1300nm include full eye length imaging, pulsatile Doppler blood flow imaging, high-speed endoscopic imaging, and hand-held wide-field retinal imaging.

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Short-wavelength MEMS-tunable VCSELs

Cited by 24 publications

References 27 publications

Pulsed quantum optomechanics

Pulsed quantum optomechanics

High-sweep-rate 1310 nm MEMS-VCSEL with 150 nm continuous tuning range

Recent advances in MEMS-VCSELs for high performance structural and functional SS-OCT imaging

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