Optomechanical cavities caracterization

Abstract

Optomechanical crystals are periodical nanostructures designed to present bandgaps for both photons and phonons. By introducing a slight defect into the optomechanical crystal, phonons and photons can be localized inside the gaps. This permits interaction between the optical and mechanical modes inside the cavity. The optomechanical interaction enables transduction of nanomechanical motion with near quantum-limited sensitivity, which drives to applications such as signal processing and high-speed sensing systems. The experiment performed in this study aims to characterise a recently fabricated set of cavities using the new e-beam installed in the Nanophotonics Technology Center (NTC) in Valencia. After comparing it to the older version fabricated with a different equipment, I have found that the cavities in the new set do not behave as expected. The results of the measurements suggest that an error in the fabrication process might have occurred. This error could come from a miss calibration of the e-beam electron dosage, leading to an alteration of the dimensions of the resulting cavities.