A super-regenerative optical receiver based on an optomechanical oscillator

A super-regenerative optical receiver detecting on-off key (OOK) modulated light inputs has been demonstrated that harnesses the radiation-pressure gain of a self-sustained electro-opto-mechanical oscillator (EOMO) to render its oscillation amplitude a function of the intensity of light coupled into the oscillator. Unlike previous electronic super-regenerative receivers, this rendition removes the need to periodically quench the oscillation signal, which then simplifies the receiver architecture and increases the attainable receive bit rate. A fully functional receiver with a compact ~90 μm EOMO comprised only of silicon-compatible materials demonstrates successful recovery of a 2 kbps bit stream from an OOK modulated 1550 nm laser input. By removing the need for the expensive III-V compound semiconductor materials often used in conventional optical receivers, this EOMO-based receiver offers a lower cost alternative for sensor network applications.