Controllable multichannel acousto-optic modulator and frequency synthesizer enabled by nonlinear MEMS resonator

Abstract

Nonlinear physics-based harmonic generators and modulators are critical signal processing technologies for optical and electrical communication. However, most optical modulators lack multi-channel functionality while frequency synthesizers have deficient control of output tones, and they additionally require vacuum, complicated setup, and high-power configurations. Here, we report a piezoelectrically actuated nonlinear Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) based Single-Input-Multiple-Output multi-domain signal processing unit that can simultaneously generate programmable parallel information channels (> 100) in both frequency and spatial domain. This significant number is achieved through the combined electromechanical and material nonlinearity of the Lead Zirconate Titanate thin film while still operating the device in an ambient environment at Complementary-Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor compatible voltages. By electrically detuning the operation point along the nonlinear regime of the resonator, the number of electrical and light-matter interaction signals generated based on higher-order non-Eigen modes can be controlled meticulously. This tunable multichannel generation enabled microdevice is a potential candidate for a wide variety of applications ranging from Radio Frequency communication to quantum photonics with an attractive MEMS-photonics monolithic integration ability.

A Closed-Loop System for Resonant MEMS Sensors Subject to Blue-Sideband Excitation

“…Finally, two modes can be simultaneously excited using the BSE approach [28]. This can be useful for achieving simultaneous multiple-input monitoring, or frequency synthesizer applications [33]. However, there are few reports on closedloop readout systems for resonant MEMS sensors subject to BSE despite their interesting properties.…”

Experimental investigation of rotating nodal line of MEMS-based nonlinear multi-mode resonators

“…MEMS sensors and actuators are utilized for the domains from optical/electrical applications such as spectroscopy 1 and frequency synthesizers 2 to the automotive industry such as inertial sensors 3 , medical devices such as microfluidics 4 and biomechanical transducers 5 , and many others. In order to simplify the operation of MEMS devices, most MEMS devices work in the linear region.…”

Double-Frequency-Shift Acousto-Optic Modulator with Controllable Pulse Pair Frequency Difference

“…Since the discovery of light diffraction caused by ultrasound wave [1], researchers have made an in-depth exploration of acousto-optic interaction [2][3][4][5]. They used an acoustooptic effect to modulate the frequency, intensity and propagation direction of optical signal, and then design an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) [6][7][8], acousto-optic deflector (AOD) [9][10][11], acousto-optic modulator (AOM) [12][13][14] and other optical devices, which are widely used in optical communication, laser control, spectrum detection and other fields [15][16][17]. Among them, an AOM uses diffraction to realize the frequency shift of the diffracted light relative to the incident light.…”