Two-dimensional gallium phosphide optomechanical crystal in the resolved-sideband regime

Faithful quantum state transfer between telecom photons and microwave frequency mechanical oscillations necessitate a fast conversion rate and low thermal noise. Two-dimensional (2D) optomechanical crystals (OMCs) are favorable candidates that satisfy those requirements. 2D OMCs enable sufficiently high mechanical frequency (1∼10 GHz) to make the resolved-sideband regime achievable, a prerequisite for many quantum protocols. It also supports higher thermal conductance than 1D structures, mitigating the parasitic laser absorption heating. Furthermore, gallium phosphide (GaP) is a promising material choice thanks to its large electronic bandgap of 2.26 eV, which suppresses two-photon absorption, and high refractive index <i>n</i> = 3.05 at the telecom C-band, leading to a high vacuum optomechanical coupling rate. Here, we fabricate and characterize a 2D OMC made of GaP. We realize a high optical <i>Q</i>-factor of 7.9 × 10⁴, corresponding to a linewidth <i>κ</i>/2<i>π</i> = 2.5 GHz at the telecom frequency 195.6 THz. This optical mode couples to several mechanical modes, whose frequencies all exceed the cavity linewidth. The most strongly coupled mode oscillates at 7.7 GHz, more than 3 times the optical linewidth, while achieving a substantial vacuum optomechanical coupling rate <i>g</i> ₀/2<i>π</i> = 450 kHz. This makes the platform a promising candidate for a long-lived, deterministic quantum memory for telecom photons at low temperatures.