Letter abstract
Nature Photonics 2, 180 - 184 (2008)
Published online: 24 February 2008 | doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.3
Subject Category: Lasers, LEDs and light sources
A nanoelectromechanical tunable laser
Michael C. Y. Huang1, Ye Zhou1 & Connie J. Chang-Hasnain1
Abstract
The ability to tune the frequency of an oscillator is of critical importance and is a fundamental building block for many systems, be they mechanical or electronic1, 2. However, this very important function is still highly inadequate in optical oscillators, particularly in semiconductor laser diodes3, 4. The limitations in tuning a laser frequency (or wavelength) include the tuning range and the speed of tuning, which is typically milliseconds or slower. In addition, the tuning is often not continuous and may require complex synchronization of several electrical control signals. In this Letter, we present a new tunable laser structure with a lightweight nanoelectromechanical mirror based on a single-layer, high-contrast subwavelength grating. The high-contrast subwavelength grating reflector enables a drastic reduction of the mirror mass, which increases the mechanical resonant frequency and hence tuning speed5. This allows for a wavelength-tunable light source with potential switching speeds of the order of tens of nanoseconds and suggests various new areas of practical application, such as bio- or chemical sensing6, 7, 8, chip-scale atomic clocks9 and projection displays10, 11.
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California at Berkeley, California 94720, USA
Correspondence to: Connie J. Chang-Hasnain1 e-mail: cch@eecs.berkeley.edu
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Lasers All mirrors are not created equalNature Photonics News and Views (01 Feb 2007)
Semiconductor lasers Tuning triumphNature Photonics News and Views (01 Mar 2008)
View from. JSAP spring meeting 2007 Inside JapanNature Photonics News and Views (01 Jun 2007)
See all 4 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
A surface-emitting laser incorporating a high-index-contrast subwavelength gratingNature Photonics Letter (01 Feb 2007)
A self-sustaining ultrahigh-frequency nanoelectromechanical oscillatorNature Nanotechnology Letter (01 Jun 2008)
See all 5 matches for Research
