Optomechanical frequency comb induced by thermal and optical forces in NEMS-based cavity optomechanics

Abstract Frequency combs (FCs) have proven to be efficient tools in fields such as ranging, communication, and computing. Traditionally, these combs have a large footprint and require external devices for operation which limits their practicality in miniaturized systems such as on-chip photonic comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xinchen Wan, Ji Xia, Haoyang Sun, Qingze Guan, Guangya Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Communications Physics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02214-x
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Summary:Abstract Frequency combs (FCs) have proven to be efficient tools in fields such as ranging, communication, and computing. Traditionally, these combs have a large footprint and require external devices for operation which limits their practicality in miniaturized systems such as on-chip photonic computing devices. To address these limitations, we propose an alternative method to generate FCs directly on a single chip, significantly reducing both the system footprint and power consumption. This approach leverages the natural interactions between thermo-optical effects and mechanical vibration. By leveraging a combination of thermo-optical effects and nonlinearity-induced frequency mixing within a single cavity system, we are able to generate stable frequency combs at room temperature without the need for external driving forces. Our experimental results confirm the theory, showcasing a potential pathway to more efficient and compact devices for communication and computation applications.
ISSN:2399-3650