Abstract
Micromechanical oscillators in the rf range were fabricated in the form of silicon discs supported by a SiO2 pillar at the disk center. A low-power laser beam, (Plaser∼100 μW), focused at the periphery of the disk, causes a significant change of the effective spring constant producing a frequency shift, Δf(Δf/f∼10-4). The high quality factor, Q, of the disk oscillator (Q∼104) allows us to realize parametric amplification of the disk's vibrations through a double frequency modulation of the laser power. An amplitude gain of up to 30 was demonstrated, with further increase limited by nonlinear behavior and self-generation. Phase dependence, inherent in degenerate parametric amplification, was also observed. Using this technique, the sensitivity of detection of a small force is greatly enhanced.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3142-3144 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 78 |
Issue number | 20 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 14 2001 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)