optoelectronic world
persion (GVD) interplayed to provide tained by second-harmonic generation
an almost-linear frequency chirp dur- (see figure). Pyramidal micro-
ing pulse propagation. The pulse was Uwe Brinkmann finally compressed by applying anom- mirrors assist atom-
alous GVD in a chirped-mirror pair. REFERENCES A full-width-at-half-maximum pulse 1. F. Röser et al., Optics Lett. 30( 20), 2754 chip development
duration of 50 fs was deduced from an (2005). 2. F. Röser et al., Photonics West 2006, Fiber Micro-optoelectromechanical systems
autocorrelation trace of the pulse ob- Lasers III, Session 10, PW6102-35. (MOEMS)—systems that integrate elec-
tronic, mechanical, and optical devices
at the chip level on the micron scale—are
important for achieving higher pack-
Free… ing densities and increased speed for optoelectronic devices. Using a simple and cost-effective MOEMS-compatible manufacturing technique, researchers at Imperial College (London, England) and New Catalog the University of Southampton ( Southampton, England) have developed for the first time, to their knowledge, pyramidal micromirror arrays in silicon using an anisotropic etching technique. 1
“Our primary interest for these mi-
cromirrors lies in integrating them with existing atom-chip technology,” say the researchers. “Atom chips are devices with microstructured surfaces, consisting, for example, of current-carrying wires on silicon chips. These create electric and/or magnetic fields that are used to trap, cool, and manipulate atoms. Similar to electronic chips, on which the flow of electrons is directed through circuits created in the silicon by etching and doping, atom chips make it possible to control the state, position, and temperature of atoms using their microfabricated features.” The researchers intend to trap single atoms in an array of pyramids—which is of interest for quantum-information-processing applications—by integrating the micromirrors with current-carrying wires to form so-called magneto-optical traps (MOTs).
Off-the-Shelf-Optics: To fabricate the pyramidal micromir- rors, the researchers lithographically 24-hour delivery define square openings in an oxide layer that coats a ( 100)-oriented silicon wafer.
Using an anisotropic potassium hy-
ROLYN OPTICS droxide etchant, the silicon ( 100) plane is etched faster than the silicon ( 111) plane, resulting in pyramidal pits with a root-mean-squared surface roughness of less than 0.5 nm (see figure). A 100- nm-thick reflective layer of gold is then applied to the array after stripping away the oxide mask.
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To create an array of MOTs, the re-
searchers plan to use existing microfab-
References:
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