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arXiv:2603.15444 · Applied Physics Letters

MACOR glass-ceramic based UHV cell for quantum technology applications

M. Proske, S. Boles-Herresthal, D. Latorre-Bastidas, I. Varma, R. Skanda, O. Hellmig, K. Sengstock, A. Wenzlawski, P. Windpassinger

quant-phSubmitted Mar 16, 2026• Announced Mar 17, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Compact, customizable, non-magnetic vacuum systems are a key requirement for many field applications of quantum technology based on cold atoms. We report on the development and construction of a compact, low-cost ultra-high vacuum compatible cell using the glass-ceramic MACOR. The cell offers a CF flange connection to commercial vacuum technology, as well as high numerical aperture viewports for precision optical measurements. The presented technology shows stable vacuum pressures of $< 1 \cdot 10^{-10}$ mbar for more than a year since the implementation into the vacuum system of a quantum gas experiment, further proving suitability for general quantum technology applications.

Journal reference
Appl. Phys. Lett. 128, 134004 (2026)
DOI
10.1063/5.0317325
Comments
6 pages, 6 figures

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Compact, customizable, non-magnetic vacuum systems are a key requirement for many field applications of quantum technology based on cold atoms. We report on the development and construction of a compact, low-cost ultra-high vacuum compatible cell using the glass-ceramic MACOR. The cell offers a CF flange connection to commercial vacuum technology, as well as high numerical aperture viewports for precision optical measurements. The presented technology shows stable vacuum pressures of <1⋅10−10< 1 \cdot 10^{-10}<1⋅10−10 mbar for more than a year since the implementation into the vacuum system of a quantum gas experiment, further proving suitability for general quantum technology applications.
Compact ultra-high vacuum systems are key enabling components for cold atom technologies, facilitating extremely accurate sensing applications. There has been important progress towards a truly portable compact vacuum system, however size, weight and power consumption can be prohibitively large, optical access may be limited, and active pumping is often required. Here, we present a centilitre-scale ceramic vacuum chamber with He-impermeable viewports and an integrated diffractive optic, enabling robust laser cooling with light from a single polarization-maintaining fibre. A cold atom demonstrator based on the vacuum cell delivers 10710^7107 laser-cooled 87^{87}87Rb atoms per second, using minimal electrical power. With continuous Rb gas emission active pumping yields a 10−7 10^{-7}\,10−7mbar equilibrium pressure, and passive pumping stabilises to 3×10−6 3\times 10^{-6}\,3×10−6mbar, with a 17 17\,17day time constant. A passively-pumped vacuum cell, with no Rb dispensing, has currently kept a similar pressure for a year. The passive-pumping vacuum lifetime is several years, estimated from short-term He throughput, with many foreseeable improvements. This technology enables wide-ranging mobilization of ultracold quantum metrology.
Compact vacuum systems are key enabling components for cold atom technologies, facilitating extremely accurate sensing applications. There has been important progress toward a truly portable compact vacuum system; however, size, weight, and power consumption can be prohibitively large, optical access may be limited, and active pumping is often required. Here, we present a centiliter-scale ceramic vacuum chamber with He-impermeable viewports and an integrated diffractive optic, enabling robust laser cooling with light from a single polarization-maintaining fiber. A cold atom demonstrator based on the vacuum cell delivers 107 laser-cooled 87Rb atoms per second, using minimal electrical power. With continuous Rb gas emission, active pumping yields a 10−7 mbar equilibrium pressure, and passive pumping stabilizes to 3×10−6 mbar with a 17 day time constant. A vacuum cell, with no Rb dispensing and only passive pumping, has currently kept a similar pressure for more than 500 days. The passive-pumping vacuum lifetime is several years, which is estimated from short-term He throughput with many foreseeable improvements. This technology enables wide-ranging mobilization of ultracold quantum metrology.
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Quantum technology is critical for the next generation of computing, communication, sensing, and time-keeping devices. Systems utilizing atomic media are compelling and leading candidates for each application, and vacuum cells are at the core. Compact vacuum hardware is critical to enabling performance improvements and reduction in the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of the overall system. Infleqtion has designed and produced novel and compact vacuum cells for the next generation of quantum-atomic systems. Vacuum hardware ranging from ultra-high vacuum (UHV) to warm vapor cells are constructed with adhesive-free methods to routinely enable high atomic and vacuum level performance at a fraction of the size of traditional vacuum systems. Cells are constructed with a wide range of materials including glass, semiconductors, metals, and ceramics. Scalable manufacturing practices are applied to vacuum cell design and construction to support the growing quantum technology market in position, navigation, and timing (PNT), and quantum information applications. Infleqtion's in-situ bonding stations have demonstrated key building blocks for vacuum cell production at scale. Cell assembly techniques that enable future integration of photonic waveguides and active photonic elements provides a clear path to manufacturing core quantum components at scale for the Quantum Ecosystem.
Employing compact quantum sensors in field or in space (e.g., small satellites) implies demanding requirements on components and integration technologies. Within our work on integrated sensors, we develop miniaturized, ultra-stable optical setups for optical cooling and trapping of cold atomic gases. Besides challenging demands on alignment precision, and thermo-mechanical durability, we specifically address ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatibility of our integration technologies and optical components. A prototype design of an UHV-compatible, crossed beam optical dipole trap setup and its application within a cold atomic quantum sensor is described. First qualification efforts on adhesive micro-integration technologies are presented. These tests are conducted in application-relevant geometries and material combinations common for micro-integrated optical setups. Adhesive aging will be investigated by thermal cycling or gamma radiation exposure. For vacuum compatibility testing, a versatile UHV testing system is currently being set up, enabling residual gas analysis and measurement of total gas rates down to 5•10-10mbar l/s at a base pressure of 10-11 mbar, exceeding the common ASTM E595 test.
Chip-scale atomic devices built around micro-fabricated alkali vapor cells are at the forefront of compact metrology and atomic sensors. We demonstrate a micro-fabricated vapor cell that is actively pumped to ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) to achieve laser cooling. A grating magneto-optical trap (GMOT) is incorporated with a 4 mm-thick Si/glass vacuum cell to demonstrate the feasibility of a fully miniaturized laser cooling platform. A two-step optical excitation process in rubidium is used to overcome surface-scatter limitations to the GMOT imaging. The unambiguous miniaturization and form-customizability made available with micro-fabricated UHV cells provide a promising platform for future compact cold-atom sensors.