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Register a new userHigh quality mechanical and optical properties of commercial silicon nitride membranes
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We have measured the optical and mechanical loss of commercial silicon nitride membranes. We find that 50 nm-thick, 1 mm^2 membranes have mechanical Q > 10^6 at 293 K, and Q > 10^7 at 300 mK, well above what has been observed in devices with comparable dimensions. The near-IR optical loss at 293 K is less than 2E-4. This combination of properties make these membranes attractive candidates for studying quantum effects in optomechanical systems.
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Si3N4 is an excellent material for applications of nanophotonics at visible wavelengths due to its wide bandgap and moderately large refractive index (n $approx$ 2.0). We present the fabrication and characterization of Si3N4 photonic crystal nanobeam cavities for coupling to diamond nanocrystals and Nitrogen-Vacancy centers in a cavity QED system. Confocal micro-photoluminescence analysis of the nanobeam cavities demonstrates quality factors up to Q ~ 55,000, which is limited by the resolution of our spectrometer. We also demonstrate coarse tuning of cavity resonances across the 600-700nm range by lithographically scaling the size of fabricated devices. This is an order of magnitude improvement over previous SiNx cavities at this important wavelength range.
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Resonance properties of nanomechanical resonators based on doubly clamped silicon nanowires, fabricated from silicon-on-insulator and coated with a thin layer of aluminum, were experimentally investigated. Resonance frequencies of the fundamental mode were measured at a temperature of $20,mathrm{mK}$ for nanowires of various sizes using the magnetomotive scheme. The measured values of the resonance frequency agree with the estimates obtained from the Euler-Bernoulli theory. The measured internal quality factor of the $5,mathrm{mu m}$-long resonator, $3.62times10^4$, exceeds the corresponding values of similar resonators investigated at higher temperatures. The structures presented can be used as mass sensors with an expected sensitivity $sim 6 times 10^{-20},mathrm{g},mathrm{Hz}^{-1/2}$.
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