A number of radically different technologies are currently on the horizon. Some, like quantum simulators, which are special-purpose computational devices that use one kind of quantum system to mimic the behaviour of a more complicated one, are likely to have a crucial impact in niche markets. Others, like improved inertial displacement sensors, which can be used to sense the movement of a device, could have significant mass-market appeal by augmenting the capabilities of the mobile devices we all take for granted. Bringing this promise to fruition requires developing new ways to translate between electromagnetic signals at widely different frequencies, e.g. between microwaves and optical signals. It requires the development of new on-chip components for signal processing that are compatible with the operating requirements of so-called superconducting quantum devices, which are crucial building blocks for producing quantum computers and other quantum technologies, and which operate close to absolute zero. It also requires the development of new techniques to sense displacements and tiny forces at the limit imposed by quantum mechanics.
To address these problems, HOT - Hybrid Optomechanical Technologies - laid the foundation for a new generation of devices that harness the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and the motion of microscopic devices. In doing so HOT created a convergence between two of the most important technologies in recent decades: micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), which are ubiquitous and used in sensing and time-keeping devices, and photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which make possible direct interfaces between electrical computer chips and light-based communication systems. The operating principles of HOT devices are novel and will enable an entirely new family of uses for micro- and nano-mechanical systems that goes far beyond the state of the art.
HOT explored these hybrid opto- and electro-mechanical devices for the conversion, synthesis, processing, sensing, and measurement of electromagnetic fields. It used hybrid nano-scale opto-/electro-mechanical devices, which are able to convert energy from one form to another, to give rise to new ways for two-way conversion between electrical and optical signals with increased efficiency. It exploited the cooperative effects and new behaviours that arise when multiple electromagnetic fields and mechanical elements all interact together. Entangled quantum states, where the motion of two mechanical oscillators is linked so strongly that the two oscillators cannot be described as two independent objects, have been demonstrated by HOT and will make possible improved sensors. HOT explored new materials and architectures to establish optomechanical interactions at ultra-high frequencies and bandwidths in integrated on-chip platforms. Most importantly, HOT included a strong industrial component that explored how the devices developed can be manufactured using standard processing techniques and packaging solutions.
