Sub-Nanometer Displacement Sensor Based on Coupling of Balanced Loss and Gain Cavities

Abstract

Sub-nanometer displacement measurement is still a challenge in the current sensor field. In this study, a new type of displacement sensor is designed which is based on the coupling effect of two balanced gain and loss resonators. The optical properties of the sensor have been studied through the coupled mode theory and scatter matrix. The pole effect in the coupling system can be used to measure the sub-nanometer displacement. The resolution of the sensor can reach 0.001 nm over a dynamic range of 20 nm. The sensor has the highest sensitivity within the range of one nanometer. The environmental disturbance and structure parameter perturbation have been demonstrated to make trivial effect on the sensor performance.