Single-mode ring resonator-based optomechanical transducers for advanced atomic force sensing
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Supplementary Information
Date
2025
Authors
Zhang, Yide
Vorobev, Artem S.
Sam, Savda
Badri, S. Hadi
David, Mauro
Lendl, Bernhard
Ramer, Georg
O'Faoláin, Liam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Published Version
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used technique for high-resolution imaging and force sensing, yet its performance is fundamentally constrained by the cantilever size, spring constants, and mechanical frequencies. To overcome these limitations, we present a compact and highly efficient single-mode ring resonator-based optomechanical transducer on an silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. Unlike conventional designs that rely on whispering gallery modes (WGMs) resonators, our approach ensures mode stability, facilitates straightforward signal interpretation, and enhances measurement reliability by eliminating mode-splitting effects and complex optical responses. Coupled with a picogram-scale cantilever, our system achieves exceptional displacement resolution of 6.7 × 10–16 m/Hz1/2 and force detection down to 5.0 × 10–14 N, providing a high-performance alternative to existing optomechanical AFM transducers. The tunable mechanical resonance frequency (1.3 to 22.5 MHz) and adjustable stiffness (0.46 to 3.54 N/m) enable precise force sensing across a broad range of applications, from soft matter characterization to high-speed imaging. Importantly, our results exhibit strong agreement with theoretical predictions, ensuring accurate and direct displacement measurements. Our results establish this single-mode optomechanical transducer as a robust, high-sensitivity platform for next-generation AFM and nanoscale sensing applications, offering a compact, scalable, and highly precise alternative to traditional free-space optical detection methods. The combination of high displacement resolution, mode stability, and tunable performance establishes this optomechanical transducer as a promising advancement in integrated nanoscale sensing and AFM applications.
Description
Keywords
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) , Displacement densing , Force sensing , Optomechanical transducer , Ring resonator , Silicon photonics
Citation
Zhang, Y., Vorobev, A. S., Sam, S., Badri, S. H., David, M., Lendl, B., Ramer, G. and O'Faolain, L. (2025) 'Single-mode ring resonator-based optomechanical transducers for advanced atomic force sensing', ACS Photonics, 12(12), pp. 6778-6787. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsphotonics.5c01914