A novel transducer for photon energy detection via near-field cavity optomechanics

This paper reports an optomechanical transducer for photon energy detection on the silicon-photonics platform. The photon energy is enhanced by a ring resonator and converted into mechanical energy via optical gradient force. An integrated electron tunneling displacement sensor is used to detect the photon-induced mechanical deformation on-chip. Compared with the traditional photon energy detection based on photon absorption, this optomechanical transducer has more compact size (60 μm × 230 μm), low thermal noise (0.03 V/ °C) and low cost. And it is a silicon based device, compatible with CMOS process and easier to be integrated with silicon-photonics.