Cryogenic rf-to-microwave transducer based on a dc-biased electromechanical system

Fuente: arXiv
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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Patange, Himanshu, Gerashchenko, Kyrylo, Rousseau, Rémi, Manset, Paul, Balembois, Léo, Capelle, Thibault, Deléglise, Samuel, Jacqmin, Thibaut
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Patange, Himanshu
Gerashchenko, Kyrylo
Rousseau, Rémi
Manset, Paul
Balembois, Léo
Capelle, Thibault
Deléglise, Samuel
Jacqmin, Thibaut
author_facet Patange, Himanshu
Gerashchenko, Kyrylo
Rousseau, Rémi
Manset, Paul
Balembois, Léo
Capelle, Thibault
Deléglise, Samuel
Jacqmin, Thibaut
contents We report a two-stage, heterodyne rf-to-microwave transducer that combines a tunable electrostatic pre-amplifier with a superconducting electromechanical cavity. A metalized Si$_3$N$_4$ membrane (3 MHz frequency) forms the movable plate of a vacuum-gap capacitor in a microwave LC resonator. A dc bias across the gap converts any small rf signal into a resonant electrostatic force proportional to the bias, providing a voltage-controlled gain that multiplies the cavity's intrinsic electromechanical gain. In a flip-chip device with a 1.5 $\mathrmμ$m gap operated at 10 mK we observe dc-tunable anti-spring shifts, and rf-to-microwave transduction at 49 V bias, achieving a charge sensitivity of 87 $\mathrmμ$e/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ (0.9 nV/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$). Extrapolation to sub-micron gaps and state-of-the-art $Q>10^8$ membrane resonators predicts sub-200 fV/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ sensitivity, establishing dc-biased electromechanics as a practical route towards quantum-grade rf electrometers and low-noise modular heterodyne links for superconducting microwave circuits and charge or voltage sensing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_01066
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Cryogenic rf-to-microwave transducer based on a dc-biased electromechanical system
Patange, Himanshu
Gerashchenko, Kyrylo
Rousseau, Rémi
Manset, Paul
Balembois, Léo
Capelle, Thibault
Deléglise, Samuel
Jacqmin, Thibaut
Quantum Physics
We report a two-stage, heterodyne rf-to-microwave transducer that combines a tunable electrostatic pre-amplifier with a superconducting electromechanical cavity. A metalized Si$_3$N$_4$ membrane (3 MHz frequency) forms the movable plate of a vacuum-gap capacitor in a microwave LC resonator. A dc bias across the gap converts any small rf signal into a resonant electrostatic force proportional to the bias, providing a voltage-controlled gain that multiplies the cavity's intrinsic electromechanical gain. In a flip-chip device with a 1.5 $\mathrmμ$m gap operated at 10 mK we observe dc-tunable anti-spring shifts, and rf-to-microwave transduction at 49 V bias, achieving a charge sensitivity of 87 $\mathrmμ$e/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ (0.9 nV/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$). Extrapolation to sub-micron gaps and state-of-the-art $Q>10^8$ membrane resonators predicts sub-200 fV/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ sensitivity, establishing dc-biased electromechanics as a practical route towards quantum-grade rf electrometers and low-noise modular heterodyne links for superconducting microwave circuits and charge or voltage sensing.
title Cryogenic rf-to-microwave transducer based on a dc-biased electromechanical system
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.01066