CAREER: Photonic Integration of Silicon Nanoelectromechanical Systems

Trustees Of Boston University, Boston

Investigators

Abstract

CAREER: PHOTONIC INTEGRATION OF SILICON NANOELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS (NEMS) The objective of this research is the photonic integration of silicon nanoelectromechanical systems. The approach is to transduce the nanoscale motion of these nanoelectromechanical systems into optical signals by using them as movable optical waveguides. In this approach, light will travel inside these movable nanomechanical waveguide devices; photoelastic effect along with geometrical effects will be harvested to convert device motion into optical modulations. Intellectual merit:This project represents a novel approach towards the photonic integration and robust operation of nanoelectromechanical systems. From a scientific point of view, the proposed research will shed light upon the interaction of electromagnetic and elastic fields in silicon at the nanoscale. To this end, rigorous modeling and experimental work will be carried out. From a technological point of view, optical integration of nanoelectromechanical systems will create a whole new set of nanodevices, nano-opto-electro-mechanical systems, capable of ultrafast and ultrasensitive operation with robust, on-chip transducers. The broader impacts of this research to society have several different facets. The nanodevices developed here are expected to find a host of applications in biomedical sensing, optomechanical signal processing, and fundamental metrology. The fundamental and technological issues studied in this research may be of importance for the burgeoning field of silicon nanophotonics. The outreach activities will target public schools with large minority and at-risk student populations and focus on nanotechnology and robotics education in order to enrich their educational experience. Curriculum development for graduate and undergraduate students will result in the dissemination of nanotechnology research methods and findings.