Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

7-1-2011

Abstract

The development of novel experimental techniques in atomic physics is allowing for the manipulation and control of atoms in structured silicon chips. These new techniques to manipulate atoms in a chip require building micro systems on chip that support actuation, alignment control and tunability for each micro component, which requires a significant integration effort. One example of a new experimental technique in atomic physics is the realization of optical cavities which is a very attractive model for quantum information and communication, because it permits the study of light-matter effect. The important exigency of an integrated micro cavity consisting of a micro mirror and a fiber optics cable are; alignment between them to form a small cavity volume and actuation to allow for adjusment of the cavity length. In this Master thesis the fabrication of 1-D v-shape or chevron thermal actuator is proposed based on the following characteristics: the actuator exploits the thermal expansion property of silicon to generate mechanical actuation, offers linear in-plane displacement, large force in small area compared to other actuators schemes and a shuttle that is capable of carrying an optical fiber that creates an optical cavity between it and a micro-mirror. Additionally, fabrication and characterization techniques are also described for the highly reflective (99.9988\\%) micro-mirrors.

Keywords

Optical MEMS, Fabry-Perot interferometers, Microactuators, Quantum electrodynamics, Integrated optics.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Electrical Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Biedermann, Grant W.

Second Committee Member

Christodoulou, Christos

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