Characterization of fluorescence collection optics integrated with a micro-fabricated surface electrode ion trap

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the integration of diffractive optical elements with surface electrode ion traps to enhance fluorescence collection efficiency for scalable quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integration of DOE's with surface traps using in-vacuum fibers, achieving specific collection efficiencies without affecting ion stability.

Findings

Achieved 3.58% solid angle collection efficiency with DOE's.

Measured detection efficiency of 0.388% with a single Ca+ ion.

Minimal impact on ion stability and motional heating rates.

Abstract

One of the outstanding challenges for ion trap quantum information processing is to accurately detect the states of many ions in a scalable fashion. In the particular case of surface traps, geometric constraints make imaging perpendicular to the surface appealing for light collection at multiple locations with minimal cross-talk. In this report we describe an experiment integrating Diffractive Optic Elements (DOE's) with surface electrode traps, connected through in-vacuum multi-mode fibers. The square DOE's reported here were all designed with solid angle collection efficiencies of 3.58%; with all losses included a detection efficiency of 0.388% (1.02% excluding the PMT loss) was measured with a single Ca+ ion. The presence of the DOE had minimal effect on the stability of the ion, both in temporal variation of stray electric fields and in motional heating rates.