New publication in ACS Photonics

New Publication from the CAVS Group!
Our latest paper, “Single-Mode Ring Resonator-Based Optomechanical Transducers for Advanced Atomic Force Sensing,” is now published in ACS Photonics. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsphotonics.5c01914
This work introduces a single-mode microring resonator–based optomechanical transducer on an SOI platform, designed to overcome the fundamental limits of conventional AFM cantilevers. The single-mode configuration ensures mode stability, eliminates mode-splitting, and enables reliable, direct optical readout.
Coupled with a picogram-scale cantilever operating in the MHz frequency range, the device achieves displacement sensitivity approaching the quantum limit, providing an efficient and scalable solution for high-speed and high-sensitivity AFM. Its tunable mechanical frequency and stiffness allow precise adaptation across diverse nanoscale sensing applications.
The study demonstrates strong agreement between experiment and theory, establishing a robust optomechanical platform that bridges photonics and nanomechanics for next-generation AFM sensing.
This success was made possible through the excellent collaboration between CAVS Research Group, Centre for Advanced Photonics & Process Analysis (CAPPA), and Tyndall National Institute, combining expertise in nanophotonics, fabrication, and advanced optical measurements.
Congratulations to all co-authors — Yide Zhang, Artem Vorobev, Savda Sam, S. Hadi Badri, Mauro David, Liam O’Faolain, Bernhard Lendl, and Georg Ramer — on this achievement.