Using a microscopic optical sensor that can be
batch-fabricated on a silicon chip at low cost, Researchers from the NIST
Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have measured the mechanical motion
between two nanofabricated structures with a precision close to the fundamental
limit imposed by quantum mechanics.* Combining a microelectromechanical system
(MEMS) with a sensitive optical resonator that can be accessed using
conventional optical fibers, the device provides a model for dramatically
improving MEMS-based sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and
cantilevers for atomic force microscopy. Traditional MEMS sensors depend on
integrated electrostatic transducers with slow response times and low
signal-to-noise ratios, and most scientific instruments that detect motion use
bulky optics that require costly instrumentation, careful alignment, and
mechanical isolation.