2022/05/31 by A. Quinn, Melanie Brown, Quinn, A. +5 · 3 citations
Engineering · Neuroscience · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Optical Sensing Technologies #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Surface Roughness and Optical Measurements #Tactile and Sensory Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2205.15892
openalex publication_date 2022/05/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The majority of microfabricated ion traps in use for quantum information processing are of the 2D 'surface-electrode' type or of the 3D 'wafer' type. Surface-electrode traps greatly simplify fabrication and hold the promise of allowing trapped-ion quantum computers to scale via standard semiconductor industry fabrication techniques. However, their geometry constrains them to having much lower trapping efficiency, depth, and harmonicity compared to 3D geometries. Conversely 3D geometries offer superior trap performance but fabrication is more complex, limiting potential to scale. We describe new 'trench' geometries that exist in the design space between these two paradigms. They still allow for a simple, planar electrode layer but with much more favourable trapping properties. We propose such traps could be 3D-printed over a 2D wafer with microfabricated components already integrated into it, thus retaining all the integration techniques and scaling advantages of surface-electrode traps. As a proof of principle we use 2-photon direct laser writing lithography to print the required electrode structures with the proposed geometry.