This month, Richard Norte, researcher at the Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, received an ATTRACT Grant worth 100,000 euros to develop a new generation of quantum accelerometers for interial navigation. The nanotechnologies he has developed at the TU Delft have already produced the world’s most sensitive micro-mirror force sensors. The aim is redirect these innovations to develop a circuit that only uses laser light (instead of the conventional sensorcircuits which route electricity), so acceleration can be measured with a precision which is only limited by the fundamental limits of quantum mechanics. Norte is working with Simon Gröblacher, associate professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences and professor Markus Aspelmeyer (University of Vienna) for this research.
The sensing technologies that are used in mobile phones, aerospace and cars consist, among other things, of electrical, magnetomotive piezoresistance sensors and capacitive readout circuits. These systems are extremely sensitive and efficient, but they are limited by the effect of external noise. This research could pave the way for the development of a new generation of devices that are immune to external noise or even electromagnetic fields. This is important, for example, with MRI scanners, electric motors and industrial applications that generate electromagnetic wave
In this project, we aim at developing a new accelerometer based on quantum opto-mechanical sensors. We will use membrane meta-materials to make devices that allow for unprecedented sensitivity, will be immune to electro-magnetic noise and will feature extraordinary improvements in bandwidths. We will achieve this through quantum limited optical read-out of mechanical motion which is fully integrated on a chip and readily compatible with existing telecom infrastructures.
We propose an opto-mechanical accelerometer working at the precision-limits imposed by quantum mechanics. Our chip-based approach combines our state-of-the-art designs in both nanophotonics and quantum phononics to pioneer new types of telecom sensors which are quickly becoming widespread in modern society. Using techniques recently developed at TU Delft we are now able to manipulate high-stress films with unique optical and mechanical performance into nearly any nanostructure imaginable; something that has eluded research and industry R&D efforts. This allows us to produce high-aspect-ratio suspended mechanical structures at low costs and opens up completely new avenues in optomechanical sensors. We have designed new photonic crystal structures that allow us to confine light into ultra-small volumes and make it possible to measure movements on the femtometer scale, a distance normally reserved for describing the radius of atoms. In order to measure accelerations associated with these scales, one needs to be able to clearly distinguish it from the thermal noise coming from surrounding environments at room temperature. Our novel techniques for manufacturing high-aspect-ratio structures will allow us to surround photonic crystal optical cavities and large masses needed for accelerometry with phononic crystals which give us unprecedented vibrational shielding from environmental noise. For the first time, we will be combining these types of meta-materials, which act as mirrors for both light and vibrations, in order to access new sensor platforms which have been out of reach of industrial commercialization. This will allow us to demonstrate orders-of-magnitude better acceleration sensitivities compared to commercial sensors with game-changing manufacturing yield; a combination which is rarely achieved together. Our recent innovations in design and nanofabrication, combined with the expertise in quantum limited read-out, places our consortium in a unique position to open up a new direction in the nanophotonics sensor market.
ATTRACT
ATTRACT is a research initiative of European Commission’s Horizon 2020 innovation programme in cooperation with various research institutes.
