Description
Gravitational wave detectors monitor distances between mirrors that are kilometers apart with to sub-attometer precision. Future detectors such as Einstein Telescope (ET) aim to extend this sensitivity to lower frequencies, from 10Hz down to 3Hz. Achieving this requires improved inertial sensors that are not only more sensitive but also scalable in terms of production, assembly, and operation, since ET will require hundreds of such units. The same challenge is present in the semiconductor industry, where the continual reduction of transistor dimensions demands lower residual vibration levels of the wafer stage during fabrication. To address both applications, the CHiPS (Compact High-Performance Sensors) project focuses on developing horizontal and vertical accelerometers using a miniaturized Homodyne Quadrature Interferometer (HoQI) read-out. These sensors will interface with compact, low-resonance-frequency mechanics and include actuators to enable closed-loop operation when enhanced sensitivity is required above ~1 Hz, at the cost of dynamic range. Open-loop and closed-loop configurations will be explored to balance dynamic range and sensitivity depending on application requirements.
