Fast-response low-power atomic oven for integration into an ion microchip

Abstract

We present a microfabricated neutral atom source for quantum technologies that can be easily integrated onto microchip devices using well-established micro-electromechanical systems fabrication techniques, and contrast this to conventional off-chip ion loading mechanisms. The heating filament of the device is shown to be as small as 90×90 µm2. Testing of the 171Yb fluorescence response is found to be in the low tens of milliseconds, two orders of magnitude faster compared to previous literature at a power of milliwatts, making it desirable for low-power device packages. We demonstrate how the evaporation material can be capped in vacuum to work with materials such as Ba that oxidizes easily in air, which can avoid the need for ablation lasers in the loading process. We calculate oven lifetimes to be over 10 years of continuous use for commonly used ion species in quantum technology.