Ultrasmall Optomechanical Resonators with Heterogeneous Integration: Pushing Limits for Resonant Sensing and toward Quantum Engineering

Abstract: Emerging resonant nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and optomechanical transducers enabled by two-dimensional (2D) materials and their heterostructures offer exceptional responsivities and sensitivities for detecting minuscule events and variations in a wide range of applications. A compelling frontier is the heterogeneous integration of such 2D NEMS transducers on modern integrated photonic chips, toward scaling up and enabling novel systems with versatile functions. We design 2D trampoline optomechanical resonators with ultrahigh responsivities, strong thermal isolation, and multiple high-Q nanomechanical resonances that are suitable for low-noise optical transduction and heterogeneous integration. In this talk, I will present my collaborative team’s research endeavors and results focused on engineering ultrasmall nanoscale optomechanical resonators, for pushing the limits in resonant sensing and signal transduction. I will describe experimental demonstrations of harnessing 2D trampoline nano-optomechanical resonators with unique potential for uncooled ultrasensitive infrared (IR) detection, and their heterogeneous integration with high-performance photonic crystal cavities on state-of-the-art integrated photonic chips. Furthermore, if time permits, I will briefly discuss the perspectives of harnessing the unconventional properties of high-Q 2D NEMS resonators, toward engineering new ultracompact NEMS with potential for operating in quantum regime, and for enabling hybrid quantum systems and transduction schemes.

Bio: Philip Feng is currently a Wally Rhines Endowed Professor in Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) and a Graduate Faculty Professor in Department of Physics at University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, FL, USA. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2007. His group’s research has been primarily focused on device physics and engineering of resonant micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and optomechanical transducers for energy-efficient information processing, by harnessing properties of new materials and coherent signal transduction schemes, especially those in wide/ultrawide-bandgap (WBG/UWBG) materials, 2D materials and heterostructures. He has graduated 19 Ph.D. students, mentored >15 postdoctoral scholars, supervised >16 M.S. students, and many more REU and SURF undergraduate researchers (3 of them won NSF GRFP). His research and education endeavors have been recognized by various awards including the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) Award, the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and 9 Best Paper Awards (with his students) at IEEE, Hilton Head Workshop, American Vacuum Society (AVS) International Symposia, and other conferences. He’s also received the UF ECE Excellence Award in Research (2025) and UF ECE Excellence Award in Service (2024). He is an elected Optica Fellow. Prof. Feng has served as the conference chair for IEEE MEMS 2021 and IEEE IFCS 2026. He has been an organizer and co-chair for the SiC+X Workshop (a forum focused on the frontiers of SiC & related materials, devices, & systems) since 2017. He co-organized and co-chaired the Florida Semiconductor Week 2023, the Florida Quantum Summit 2025, and the UF Quantum Day 2025. For more information, please see Google Scholar.