3D-Printed Micro Ion Trap Technology for Scalable Quantum Information Processing

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel 3D printing method for creating scalable, high-performance ion traps for quantum information processing, overcoming fabrication challenges of traditional techniques and enabling complex, miniaturized trap geometries.

Contribution

It demonstrates the use of high-resolution 3D printing to fabricate complex, miniaturized ion traps that combine the advantages of traditional and photolithographic methods.

Findings

Confined single calcium ions with trap frequencies from 2 MHz to 24 MHz.

Achieved high-fidelity coherent operations on optical qubits after Doppler cooling.

Expanded design freedom for ion traps without sacrificing scalability.

Abstract

Trapped-ion applications, such as in quantum information, precision measurements, optical clocks, and mass spectrometry, rely on specialized high-performance ion traps. The latter applications typically employ traditional machining to customize macroscopic 3D Paul traps, while quantum information processing experiments usually rely on photo-lithographic techniques to miniaturize the traps and meet scalability requirements. Using photolithography, however, it is challenging to fabricate the complex three-dimensional electrode structures required for optimal confinement. Here we address these limitations by adopting a high-resolution 3D printing technology based on two-photon polymerization supporting fabrication of large arrays of high-performance miniaturized 3D traps. We show that 3D-printed ion traps combine the advantages of traditionally machined 3D traps with the miniaturization provided by photolithography by confining single calcium ions in a small 3D-printed ion trap with radial trap frequencies ranging from 2 MHz to 24 MHz. The tight confinement eases ion cooling requirements and allows us to demonstrate high-fidelity coherent operations on an optical qubit after only Doppler cooling. With 3D printing technology, the design freedom is drastically expanded without sacrificing scalability and precision so that ion trap geometries can be optimized for higher performance and better functionality.