Demonstration of a microfabricated surface electrode ion trap

TL;DR

This paper details the design, fabrication, modeling, and experimental validation of a microfabricated surface electrode ion trap with a complex electrode configuration, demonstrating successful ion trapping and shuttling.

Contribution

It introduces a novel heterostructure fabrication process for surface electrode ion traps and demonstrates effective ion control and movement in these traps.

Findings

Successful fabrication of the trap with silicon dioxide insulation.

Effective ion trapping and shuttling demonstrated.

Modeling techniques for control voltages validated.

Abstract

In this paper we present the design, modeling, and experimental testing of surface electrode ion traps fabricated in a heterostructure configuration comprising a silicon substrate, silicon dioxide insulators, and aluminum electrodes. This linear trap has a geometry with symmetric RF leads, two interior DC electrodes, and 40 individual lateral DC electrodes. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was used to grow silicon dioxide pillars to electrically separate overhung aluminum electrodes from an aluminum ground plane. In addition to fabrication, we report techniques for modeling the control voltage solutions and the successful demonstration of trapping and shuttling ions in two identically constructed traps.