Ultra-high accuracy robotic nanopositioning strategies for 3D hybrid photonic integrated circuits

Abstract

Miniaturized 3D hybrid photonic architectures allow low power consumption at a reasonable cost for high-speed communication, sensors, and signal processing. However, fabrication of these components and 3D architectures poses challenges due to scale effects limiting the automation of the micro-components micromanipulation and their assembly. Intermolecular forces further complicate matters, with increased adhesion making the coupling at nanometer distances difficult.Lithium niobate (LN) is a promising material for photonic applications, especially in high-speed applications. This thesis focuses on expanding the capabilities of LN by exploring new 3D architectures for sensing applications. The study presents fabrication procedures for microdisks and electro-optic waveguides in LN, two key components for biosensors and optical gyroscopes. Additionally, ultra-high accuracy nanorobotic positioning strategies are proposed for manipulation and assembly, including a static mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for studying intermolecular forces during microdisk and waveguide interaction. Indeed, it is noted that the pull-in force occurs during a duration of <10 ms. This sudden switch between no contact to contact makes it complicated to control the relative position of components in the Z-axis in the sub-100 nm. Therefore, another strategy based on dynamic mode AFM using the Akiyama probe is proposed, with an adaptive algorithm and models based on its dynamic behavior. This enables the development of a strategy for ultra-high accuracy nano-robotic positioning of components in the Z-axis with a precision of <2 nm based on the attractive intermolecular forces. Keywords 3D Hybrid Photonic circuits Robotics Micro-Assembly Intermolecular forces Lithium niobate Atomic force microscopy Domains Automatic Control Engineering