Feasibility of a high-throughput manufacturing process for microfabricated ion traps

Chip-scale technology is necessary for atomic quantum devices of significantly reduced form factor. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has demonstrated a prototype microchip device for the confinement of atomic ions. Its unique set of performance characteristics, together with the scalable fabrication techniques used to produce it, render it an excellent platform for an elementary component in atomic quantum technologies. Clocks, sensors and scalable superpositions and entanglement will benefit. Kelvin Nanotechnology will work with NPL to develop aspects of the microfabrication process so that trap chips can be made at a full-wafer scale, thus demonstrating the principle and feasibility of a high-throughput manufacturing process. Optocap will work with NPL to develop an automated electronic packaging process for the microchips. Both aspects will demonstrate a route to niche-volume manufacturing and electronic packaging of ion chips. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first attempt worldwide to show this principle for ion microchip devices. This points the way towards the integration of these devices in atomic quantum instruments.