Negative-index metamaterials (NIMs) are engineered structures with optical properties that cannot be obtained in naturally occurring materials. Recent work has demonstrated that focused ion beam and layer-by-layer electron-beam lithography can be used to pattern the necessary nanoscale features over small areas (hundreds of µm(2)) for metamaterials with three-dimensional layouts and interesting...

Parametric resonance and amplification are important in both fundamental physics and technological applications. Here we report very high frequency (VHF) parametric resonators and mechanical-domain amplifiers based on nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Compound mechanical nanostructures patterned by multilayer, top-down nanofabrication are read out by a novel scheme that parametrically modul...

Nanoscale mechanical resonators are highly sensitive devices and, therefore, for application as highly sensitive mass balances, they are potentially superior to micromachined cantilevers. The absolute measurement of nanoscale displacements of such resonators remains a challenge, however, since the optical signal reflected from a cantilever whose dimensions are sub-wavelength is at best very wea...

Following recent insights into energy storage and loss mechanisms in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), nanomechanical resonators with increasingly high quality factors are possible. Consequently, efficient, non-dissipative transduction schemes are required to avoid the dominating influence of coupling losses. Here we present an integrated NEMS transducer based on a microwave cavity dielectr...

Reflection gratings on Al2O3 channel waveguides were defined by focused ion beam milling. Fabry-Perot microcavities were fabricated and improved performance upon annealing was demonstrated, making them viable candidates as resonators for on-chip waveguide lasers.

Michelson-type laser-interferometric gravitational-wave (GW) observatories employ very high light powers as well as transmissively-coupled Fabry-Perot arm resonators in order to realize high measurement sensitivities. Due to the absorption in the transmissive optics, high powers lead to thermal lensing and hence to thermal distortions of the laser beam profile, which sets a limit on the maximal...

Power scaling of high power laser resonators is limited due to several nonlinear effects. Scaling to larger mode areas can offset these effects at the cost of decreased beam quality, limiting the brightness that can be achieved from the multi-mode system. In order to improve the brightness from such multi-mode systems, we present a method of transverse mode selection utilizing volume Bragg grat...

With Q’s in the tens to hundreds of thousands, micromachined vibrating resonators are proposed as IC-compatible tanks for use in the highly selective filters of communications subsystems. To date, bandpass filters consisting of spring-coupled micromechanical resonators have been demonstrated in a frequency range from HF to VHF. In particular, two-resonator micromechanical bandpass filters have ...

We present a technique to trim the resonance of silicon ring resonators. The cladding oxide is compacted by electron beam bombardment, causing strain in the silicon lattice, which leads to a 5 nm resonance shift.