Mechanical On-Chip Microwave Circulator

  1. S. Barzanjeh,
  2. M. Wulf,
  3. M. Peruzzo,
  4. M. Kalaee,
  5. P. B. Dieterle,
  6. O. Painter,
  7. and J. M. Fink
Nonreciprocal circuit elements form an integral part of modern measurement and communication systems. Mathematically they require breaking of time-reversal symmetry, typically achieved
using magnetic materials and more recently using the quantum Hall effect, parametric permittivity modulation or Josephson nonlinearities. Here, we demonstrate an on-chip magnetic-free circulator based on reservoir engineered optomechanical interactions. Directional circulation is achieved with controlled phase-sensitive interference of six distinct electro-mechanical signal conversion paths. The presented circulator is compact, its silicon-on-insulator platform is compatible with both superconducting qubits and silicon photonics, and its noise performance is close to the quantum limit. With a high dynamic range, a tunable bandwidth of up to 30 MHz and an in-situ reconfigurability as beam splitter or wavelength converter, it could pave the way for superconducting qubit processors with integrated and multiplexed on-chip signal processing and readout.