Fabrication of Magneto-Optical Atom Traps on a Chip

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel integrated magneto-optical trap on a silicon chip using a pyramidal mirror and wire loop, simplifying atom loading and reducing losses for quantum applications.

Contribution

It presents a new design for integrating a MOT directly onto a silicon chip, combining optical and magnetic elements in a compact, scalable device.

Findings

Successful fabrication of an array of integrated MOTs

Characterization of magnetic, thermal, and optical properties

Potential for simplified atom trapping and quantum device integration

Abstract

Ultra-cold atoms can be manipulated using microfabricated devices known as atom chips. These have significant potential for applications in sensing, metrology and quantum information processing. To date, the chips are loaded by transfer of atoms from an external, macroscopic magneto-optical trap (MOT) into microscopic traps on the chip. This transfer involves a series of steps, which complicate the experimental procedure and lead to atom losses. In this paper we present a design for integrating a MOT into a silicon wafer by combining a concave pyramidal mirror with a square wire loop. We describe how an array of such traps has been fabricated and we present magnetic, thermal and optical properties of the chip.