Stable Optical Phase Modulation with Micromirrors

Abstract: We measure the motional fluctuations of a micromechanical mirror using a Michelson interferometer, and demonstrate its interferometric stability. The position stability of the micromirror is dominated by the thermal mechanical noise of the structure. With this level of stability, we utilize the micromirror to realize an ideal optical phase modulator by simply reflecting light off the mirror and modulating its position. The resonant frequency of the modulator can be tuned by applying a voltage between the mirror and an underlying electrode. Full modulation depth of +/-\pi is achieved when the mirror resonantly excited with a sinusoidal voltage at an amplitude of 11V.