Towards integrated position sensors with nanometer precision

Schulz, Sebastian A.; Beck, Paul; Wynne, Laura C.; Iadanza, Simone; O'Faolain, Liam; Banzer, Peter

Towards integrated position sensors with nanometer precision

Files

Schulz_2023_Towards_integrated_position_sensors_ProcSPIE_1233405.pdf(732.88 KB)

Published Version

Date

2023-01-11

Authors

Schulz, Sebastian A.

Beck, Paul

Wynne, Laura C.

Iadanza, Simone

O'Faolain, Liam

Banzer, Peter

Publisher

SPIE

Published Version

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2644959

Abstract

The ability to precisely measure the displacement between two elements, e.g. a mask and a substrate or a beam and optical elements, is fundamental to many precision experiments and processes. Yet typical optical displacement sensors struggle to go significantly below the diffraction limit. Here we combine advances in our understanding of directional scattering from nanoparticles with silicon photonic waveguides to demonstrate a displacement sensor with deep subwavelength accuracy. Depending on the level of integration and waveguide geometry used we achieve a spatial resolution between 5 − 7 nm, equivalent to approximately λ/200 − λ/300.

Keywords

Integrated position sensors , Nanometer precision , Nanoparticles , Silicon photonics , Directional scattering , Sensors , Integrated optics , Photonic integrated circuits

Citation

Schulz, S. A., Beck, P., Wynne, L. C., Iadanza, S., O'Faolain, L. and Banzer, P. (2023) 'Towards integrated position sensors with nanometer precision', Proceedings of SPIE 12334, Emerging Applications in Silicon Photonics III, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 6-8 December 2022, 1233405. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2644959