Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:0711.2947

Transport of ions in a segmented linear Paul trap in printed-circuit-board technology

Huber, G., T. Deuschle, Wolfgang Schnitzler, R. Reichle, Kilian Singer, Ferdinand Schmidt‐Kaler

Published Nov 19, 2007• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We describe the construction and operation of a segmented linear Paul trap, fabricated in printed-circuit-board technology with an electrode segment width of 500 microns. We prove the applicability of this technology to reliable ion trapping and report the observation of Doppler cooled ion crystals of Ca-40 with this kind of traps. Measured trap frequencies agree with numerical simulations at the level of a few percent from which we infer a high fabrication accuracy of the segmented trap. To demonstrate its usefulness and versatility for trapped ion experiments we study the fast transport of a single ion. Our experimental results show a success rate of 99.0(1)% for a transport distance of 2x2mm in a round-trip time of T=20us, which corresponds to 4 axial oscillations only. We theoretically and experimentally investigate the excitation of oscillations caused by fast ion transports with error-function voltage ramps: For a slightly slower transport (a round-trip shuttle within T=30us) we observe non-adiabatic motional excitation of 0.89(15)meV.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.0711.2947

Related papers

Transport of ions in a segmented linear Paul trap in printed-circuit-board technology

G Huber, T. Deuschle, Wolfgang Schnitzler +3 more

We describe the construction and operation of a segmented linear Paul trap, fabricated in printed-circuit-board technology with an electrode segment width of 500 μm. We prove the applicability of this technology to reliable ion trapping and report the observation of Doppler-cooled ion crystals of 40 Ca + with this kind of trap. Measured trap frequencies agree with numerical simulations at the level of a few percent from which we infer a high fabrication accuracy of the segmented trap. To demonstrate its usefulness and versatility for trapped ion experiments we study the fast transport of a single ion. Our experimental results show a success rate of 99.0(1)% for a transport distance of 2 × 2 mm in a round-trip time of T = 20 μs, which corresponds to 4 axial oscillations only. We theoretically and experimentally investigate the excitation of oscillations caused by fast ion transports with error-function voltage ramps: for a slightly slower transport (a round-trip shuttle within T = 30 μs) we observe non-adiabatic motional excitation of 0.89(15) meV.

New Journal of Physics•Jan 14, 2008•74 citations

Kalte Ionenkristalle in einer segmentierten Paul-Falle

T. Deuschle

Laser-cooled ions in linear Paul Traps are one of the most promising candidates for a quantum computer. This thesis reports on the construction and operation of a segmented Paul trap. The trap was fabricated in UHV-compatible printed-circuit-board (PCB) technology and consists of 15 segments with a minimum segment width of 0,5 mm. With the large number of segments it is unique in Europe. Although a PCB-trap may not be suitable for large-scale quantum computers, the advantage of such a trap is fast and reliable fabrication with low fabrication costs. Therefore this technology is ideal for rapid testing of new trap geometries and ion shuttling methods. Experiments were carried out with individual laser-cooled 40Ca+ ions stored in the trap and observed by detecting their fluorescence. Measured trap frequencies agree to numerical simulations at the level of a few percent, demonstrating the fabrication accuracy of the segmented trap. Compensation voltages are used to cancel stray fields. The long time stability of these compensation voltages over many months is comparable to a conventional unsegmented trap. To determine the short time stability of the PCB-trap, the heating rate of the motional mode of an ion was measured by detecting fluoresence during Doppler cooling of heated ions. The observed heating rate was much higher than expected due to a massive deposition of calcium on the trap electrodes. Transport dynamics of a single trapped ion was investigated by shuttling the ion between trap locations 2mm apart. A non-adiabatic transport in roughly two oscillation periods in the axial trap potential was achieved. The quality of a transport function was evaluated with two different methods: the success probability and the excess energy of the ion after transport. The measurements were compared with numerical simulations of the classical energy transfer due to the transport. Finally, a string of ions held in a common trap was separated into two distinct traps.

•Jan 1, 2007•0 citations

Optimization of segmented linear Paul traps and transport of stored particles

S. Schulz, Ulrich Poschinger, Kilian Singer +1 more

Abstract Single ions held in linear Paul traps are promising candidates for a future quantum computer. Here, we discuss a two‐layer microstructured segmented linear ion trap. The radial and axial potentials are obtained from numeric field simulations and the geometry of the trap is optimized. As the trap electrodes are segmented in the axial direction, the trap allows the transport of ions between different spatial regions. Starting with realistic numerically obtained axial potentials, we optimize the transport of an ion such that the motional degrees of freedom are not excited, even though the transport speed far exceeds the adiabatic regime. In our optimization we achieve a transport within roughly two oscillation periods in the axial trap potential compared to typical adiabatic transports that take of the order 102 oscillations. Furthermore heating due to quantum mechanical effects is estimated and suppression strategies are proposed.

arXiv:quant-ph/0607217•Fortschritte der Physik•Aug 1, 2006•75 citations

Transport of Multispecies Ion Crystals through a Junction in a Radio-Frequency Paul Trap

William Cody Burton, Brian Estey, Ian M. Hoffman +3 more

We report on the first demonstration of transport of a multispecies ion crystal through a junction in a rf Paul trap. The trap is a two-dimensional surface-electrode trap with an $\mathsf{X}$ junction and segmented control electrodes to which time-varying voltages are applied to control the shape and position of potential wells above the trap surface. We transport either a single ${^{171}\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}$ ion or a crystal composed of a ${^{138}\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}$ ion cotrapped with the ${^{171}\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}$ ion to any port of the junction. We characterize the motional excitation by performing multiple round-trips through the junction and back to the initial well position without cooling. The final excitation is then measured using sideband asymmetry. For a single ${^{171}\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}$ ion, transport with a $4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$ average speed induces between $0.013\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ and $0.014\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ quanta of excitation per round-trip, depending on the exit port. For a Ba-Yb crystal, transport at the same speed induces between $0.013\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ and $0.030\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.002$ quanta per round-trip of excitation to the in-phase axial mode. Excitation in the out-of-phase axial mode ranges from $0.005\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ to $0.021\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ quanta per round-trip.

arXiv:2206.11888•Physical Review Letters•Apr 28, 2023•29 citations

A monolithic segmented 3D ion trap fabricated from fused silica by selective laser-induced etching

Edgar Brucke, Martin Wagener, Moritz Fontboté-Schmidt +10 more

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a monolithic, segmented, three-dimensional linear Paul ion trap for quantum science applications. The trap is fabricated from a single fused-silica block using selective laser-induced etching (SLE) and is subsequently metallized, forming electrodes isolated by self-shadowing trench structures without the need for layer alignment or external shadow masks. The segmented electrodes allow for shaping of the axial potential, enabling the creation of anharmonic potential wells, such as those required for equidistant ion strings. In addition, they enable shuttling and splitting of ion chains. We discuss key design choices and SLE-imposed constraints on achievable feature sizes, and evaluate electron-beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering as metallization approaches. Across two independent experimental setups, we demonstrate stable trapping and control of linear chains of up to 33 $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ions, including approximately equally spaced configurations. The measured secular frequencies in both traps agree with boundary-element simulations at the percent level, with residual deviations attributed to stray electric fields in the presence of anharmonic axial potentials, rather than fabrication imperfections. We measure axial micromotion field strengths on the order of 100 V/m along the trap axis, in approximate agreement with simulations. For radial mode frequencies near 2 MHz and an ion-electrode distance of 300 um, we measure heating rates of the order of 10 quanta/s in all but one motional mode, which is elevated by a technical noise source. The presented trap design is thus suitable for a wide range of quantum science applications and demonstrates the viability of SLE for the fabrication of finely segmented, monolithic, three-dimensional ion traps.

physics.atom-phCross-listedarXiv:2609.01694•Sep 2, 2026•0 citations

Controlling Fast Transport of Cold Trapped Ions

Andreas Walther, Frank Ziesel, Thomas Ruster +6 more

We realize fast transport of ions in a segmented microstructured Paul trap. The ion is shuttled over a distance of more than 10(4) times its ground state wave function size during only five motional cycles of the trap (280 μm in 3.6 μs). Starting from a ground-state-cooled ion, we find an optimized transport such that the energy increase is as low as 0.10±0.01 motional quanta. In addition, we demonstrate that quantum information stored in a spin-motion entangled state is preserved throughout the transport. Shuttling operations are concatenated, as a proof-of-principle for the shuttling-based architecture to scalable ion trap quantum computing.

arXiv:1206.0364•Physical Review Letters•Aug 20, 2012•253 citations
We describe the construction and operation of a segmented linear Paul trap, fabricated in printed-circuit-board technology with an electrode segment width of 500 microns. We prove the applicability of this technology to reliable ion trapping and report the observation of Doppler cooled ion crystals of Ca-40 with this kind of traps. Measured trap frequencies agree with numerical simulations at the level of a few percent from which we infer a high fabrication accuracy of the segmented trap. To demonstrate its usefulness and versatility for trapped ion experiments we study the fast transport of a single ion. Our experimental results show a success rate of 99.0(1)% for a transport distance of 2x2mm in a round-trip time of T=20us, which corresponds to 4 axial oscillations only. We theoretically and experimentally investigate the excitation of oscillations caused by fast ion transports with error-function voltage ramps: For a slightly slower transport (a round-trip shuttle within T=30us) we observe non-adiabatic motional excitation of 0.89(15)meV.
We describe the construction and operation of a segmented linear Paul trap, fabricated in printed-circuit-board technology with an electrode segment width of 500 μm. We prove the applicability of this technology to reliable ion trapping and report the observation of Doppler-cooled ion crystals of 40 Ca + with this kind of trap. Measured trap frequencies agree with numerical simulations at the level of a few percent from which we infer a high fabrication accuracy of the segmented trap. To demonstrate its usefulness and versatility for trapped ion experiments we study the fast transport of a single ion. Our experimental results show a success rate of 99.0(1)% for a transport distance of 2 × 2 mm in a round-trip time of T = 20 μs, which corresponds to 4 axial oscillations only. We theoretically and experimentally investigate the excitation of oscillations caused by fast ion transports with error-function voltage ramps: for a slightly slower transport (a round-trip shuttle within T = 30 μs) we observe non-adiabatic motional excitation of 0.89(15) meV.
Laser-cooled ions in linear Paul Traps are one of the most promising candidates for a quantum computer. This thesis reports on the construction and operation of a segmented Paul trap. The trap was fabricated in UHV-compatible printed-circuit-board (PCB) technology and consists of 15 segments with a minimum segment width of 0,5 mm. With the large number of segments it is unique in Europe. Although a PCB-trap may not be suitable for large-scale quantum computers, the advantage of such a trap is fast and reliable fabrication with low fabrication costs. Therefore this technology is ideal for rapid testing of new trap geometries and ion shuttling methods. Experiments were carried out with individual laser-cooled 40Ca+ ions stored in the trap and observed by detecting their fluorescence. Measured trap frequencies agree to numerical simulations at the level of a few percent, demonstrating the fabrication accuracy of the segmented trap. Compensation voltages are used to cancel stray fields. The long time stability of these compensation voltages over many months is comparable to a conventional unsegmented trap. To determine the short time stability of the PCB-trap, the heating rate of the motional mode of an ion was measured by detecting fluoresence during Doppler cooling of heated ions. The observed heating rate was much higher than expected due to a massive deposition of calcium on the trap electrodes. Transport dynamics of a single trapped ion was investigated by shuttling the ion between trap locations 2mm apart. A non-adiabatic transport in roughly two oscillation periods in the axial trap potential was achieved. The quality of a transport function was evaluated with two different methods: the success probability and the excess energy of the ion after transport. The measurements were compared with numerical simulations of the classical energy transfer due to the transport. Finally, a string of ions held in a common trap was separated into two distinct traps.
Abstract Single ions held in linear Paul traps are promising candidates for a future quantum computer. Here, we discuss a two‐layer microstructured segmented linear ion trap. The radial and axial potentials are obtained from numeric field simulations and the geometry of the trap is optimized. As the trap electrodes are segmented in the axial direction, the trap allows the transport of ions between different spatial regions. Starting with realistic numerically obtained axial potentials, we optimize the transport of an ion such that the motional degrees of freedom are not excited, even though the transport speed far exceeds the adiabatic regime. In our optimization we achieve a transport within roughly two oscillation periods in the axial trap potential compared to typical adiabatic transports that take of the order 102 oscillations. Furthermore heating due to quantum mechanical effects is estimated and suppression strategies are proposed.
We report on the first demonstration of transport of a multispecies ion crystal through a junction in a rf Paul trap. The trap is a two-dimensional surface-electrode trap with an X\mathsf{X}X junction and segmented control electrodes to which time-varying voltages are applied to control the shape and position of potential wells above the trap surface. We transport either a single 171Yb+{^{171}\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}171Yb+ ion or a crystal composed of a 138Ba+{^{138}\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}138Ba+ ion cotrapped with the 171Yb+{^{171}\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}171Yb+ ion to any port of the junction. We characterize the motional excitation by performing multiple round-trips through the junction and back to the initial well position without cooling. The final excitation is then measured using sideband asymmetry. For a single 171Yb+{^{171}\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}171Yb+ ion, transport with a 4  m/s4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}4  m/s average speed induces between $0.013\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ and $0.014\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ quanta of excitation per round-trip, depending on the exit port. For a Ba-Yb crystal, transport at the same speed induces between $0.013\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ and $0.030\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.002$ quanta per round-trip of excitation to the in-phase axial mode. Excitation in the out-of-phase axial mode ranges from $0.005\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ to $0.021\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ quanta per round-trip.
We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a monolithic, segmented, three-dimensional linear Paul ion trap for quantum science applications. The trap is fabricated from a single fused-silica block using selective laser-induced etching (SLE) and is subsequently metallized, forming electrodes isolated by self-shadowing trench structures without the need for layer alignment or external shadow masks. The segmented electrodes allow for shaping of the axial potential, enabling the creation of anharmonic potential wells, such as those required for equidistant ion strings. In addition, they enable shuttling and splitting of ion chains. We discuss key design choices and SLE-imposed constraints on achievable feature sizes, and evaluate electron-beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering as metallization approaches. Across two independent experimental setups, we demonstrate stable trapping and control of linear chains of up to 33 40^{40}40Ca+^++ ions, including approximately equally spaced configurations. The measured secular frequencies in both traps agree with boundary-element simulations at the percent level, with residual deviations attributed to stray electric fields in the presence of anharmonic axial potentials, rather than fabrication imperfections. We measure axial micromotion field strengths on the order of 100 V/m along the trap axis, in approximate agreement with simulations. For radial mode frequencies near 2 MHz and an ion-electrode distance of 300 um, we measure heating rates of the order of 10 quanta/s in all but one motional mode, which is elevated by a technical noise source. The presented trap design is thus suitable for a wide range of quantum science applications and demonstrates the viability of SLE for the fabrication of finely segmented, monolithic, three-dimensional ion traps.
We realize fast transport of ions in a segmented microstructured Paul trap. The ion is shuttled over a distance of more than 10(4) times its ground state wave function size during only five motional cycles of the trap (280 μm in 3.6 μs). Starting from a ground-state-cooled ion, we find an optimized transport such that the energy increase is as low as 0.10±0.01 motional quanta. In addition, we demonstrate that quantum information stored in a spin-motion entangled state is preserved throughout the transport. Shuttling operations are concatenated, as a proof-of-principle for the shuttling-based architecture to scalable ion trap quantum computing.