We investigate self-sustained oscillations on microdrum resonators manufactured with molybdenum disulfide, under continuouswave laser excitation. Control over these oscillations is demonstrated building a simple radio-over-laser link. Applying a DC voltage bias to the device, we strain it and tune the system into an optical resonance condition at which point the drumhead enters a self-sustained mechanical oscillation regime. This modulates the outgoing light at a fixed VHF frequency that depends on the MoS2 membrane tension. Exploiting this effect, a frequency modulated message can be encoded into the laser beam by varying the voltage bias around the resonance condition. These developments can have potential applications in free-space optical communications, range finding, sensing, underwater optical wireless communications and eventually microwave photonics when the working frequencies in both the optical and RF parts are increased.
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