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arXiv:1108.2087 · Applied Physics Letters

Fabrication of glass micro-cavities for cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments

Arpan Roy, Murray D. Barrett

Published Oct 24, 2011• 11 citations
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Abstract

We report a process for fabricating high quality, defect-free spherical mirror templates suitable for developing high finesse optical Fabry-Perot resonators. The process utilizes the controlled re-flow of borosilicate glass and differential pressure to produce mirrors with 0.3 nm surface roughness. The dimensions of the mirrors are in the 0.5–5 mm range making them suitable candidates for integration with on-chip neutral atom and ion experiments where enhanced interaction between atoms and photons is required. Cavities constructed with these mirror templates are well suited to quantum information applications such as single photon sources and atom-photon entanglement.

DOI
10.1063/1.3658391

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We report a process for fabricating high quality, defect-free spherical mirror templates suitable for developing high finesse optical Fabry-Perot resonators. The process utilizes the controlled re-flow of borosilicate glass and differential pressure to produce mirrors with 0.3 nm surface roughness. The dimensions of the mirrors are in the 0.5–5 mm range making them suitable candidates for integration with on-chip neutral atom and ion experiments where enhanced interaction between atoms and photons is required. Cavities constructed with these mirror templates are well suited to quantum information applications such as single photon sources and atom-photon entanglement.
In this paper, we realize a scalable micromirror suitable for atom chip based cavity quantum electrodynamics applications. A very low surface roughness of 2.2 Å rms on the silicon cavity mirrors is achieved using chemical dry etching along with plasma and oxidation smoothing. Our Fabry–Perot cavity comprised of these mirrors currently demonstrates the highest finesse, F=64 000, using microfabricated mirrors. We compute a single atom cooperativity for our cavities of more than 200, making them promising candidates for detecting individual atoms and for quantum information applications on a chip.
A leading strategy for the creation of a scalable quantum computer is through a networked architecture. This would comprise stationary nodes for quantum information processing and photonic channels for their communication and entanglement distribution. In this scheme a coherent interface between light and matter is a critical component, facilitating the deterministic and reversible transfer of quantum information between stationary and travelling qubits. This requirement may be fulfilled by a high finesse optical cavity, whose radiation field is strongly coupled to a trapped quantised emitter. Neutral atoms are an ideal species for the development of such a device, given their inherent compatibility with dielectric mirror surfaces. However, an outstanding challenge in building an elementary network of neutral atom-cavity systems is in establishing a single atom dipole trap within each cavity mode. This thesis presents the development of an open-access cavity suitable for single atom localisation, whilst maintaining strong atom-cavity coupling, {g0,κ,γ} = {11,2.1,3} × 2πMHz, and the efficient extraction of generated photons, η=0.5. We consider cavity design methodology, deriving a connection between the physical properties of the optical resonator and its intended role in the production of single photons. An experimental platform is developed for the creation of cavity mirrors by laser ablation, with a high degree of geometrical control. This is used to produce a set of pyramidal micro-mirrors, demonstrated to represent a favourable alternative to the widespread adoption of fibre-tip cavities. These pyramidal mirrors are shown to support multi-feature resonators, allowing several atom-cavity interfaces to be formed using a pair of substrates. By developing a novel procedure for mirror alignment, a hybrid mirror cavity is fabricated and integrated into an experimental architecture tailored for atomic trapping. Suitability of the cavity for future experimentation is demonstrated by frequency stabilisation to an atomic resonance of 87Rb.
We report the development of a fiber-based, tunable optical cavity with open access. The cavity is of the Fabry-Perot type and is formed with miniature spherical mirrors positioned on the end of single- or multi-mode optical fibers by a transfer technique which involves lifting a high-quality mirror from a smooth convex substrate, either a ball lens or micro-lens. The cavities typically have a finesse of sim1,000\\sim 1,000sim1,000 and a mode volume of 600 mu\\mumum3^33. We demonstrate the detection of small ensembles of cold Rb atoms guided through such a cavity on an atom chip.
We have fabricated and characterized laser-ablated micromirrors on fused silica substrates for constructing stable Fabry–Perot optical cavities. We highlight several design features which allow these cavities to have lengths in the 250–300 μm range and be integrated directly with surface ion traps. We present a method to calculate the optical mode shape and losses of these micromirror cavities as functions of cavity length and mirror shape, and confirm that our simulation model is in good agreement with experimental measurements of the intracavity optical mode at a test wavelength of 780 nm. We have designed and tested a mechanical setup for dampening vibrations and stabilizing the cavity length, and explore applications for these cavities as efficient single-photon sources when combined with trapped Yb171+ ions.
The development of laser-machined, ultralow roughness micromirrors on optical fiber tips has enabled a new type of high-finesse Fiber Fabry-Perot cavities (FFPs). These microcavities are used very successfully in an increasing number of quantum technology applications, reaching from single-photon sources with various solid-state emitters to entanglement generation in ultracold atomic ensembles. They are also attractive for general photonics applications where high cavity finesse is desired, combinin narrow resonance width and large stopband with high transmission, excellent passive stability and built-in fiber coupling. I will give a short overview of this cavity technology and describe an experiment where we are using a next-generation FFP cavity to generate long-lived spin squeezed states in an atomic clock on a chip.
The development of novel experimental techniques in atomic physics is allowing for the manipulation and control of atoms in structured silicon chips. These new techniques to manipulate atoms in a chip require building micro systems on chip that support actuation, alignment control and tunability for each micro component, which requires a significant integration effort. One example of a new experimental technique in atomic physics is the realization of optical cavities which is a very attractive model for quantum information and communication, because it permits the study of light-matter effect. The important exigency of an integrated micro cavity consisting of a micro mirror and a fiber optics cable are; alignment between them to form a small cavity volume and actuation to allow for adjusment of the cavity length. In this Master thesis the fabrication of 1-D v-shape or chevron thermal actuator is proposed based on the following characteristics: the actuator exploits the thermal expansion property of silicon to generate mechanical actuation, offers linear in-plane displacement, large force in small area compared to other actuators schemes and a shuttle that is capable of carrying an optical fiber that creates an optical cavity between it and a micro-mirror. Additionally, fabrication and characterization techniques are also described for the highly reflective (99.9988\\%) micro-mirrors.