Abstract Advanced integration technologies greatly enhance the prospects and reliability of practical quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and quantum information technologies. The performance and proliferation of these devices at chip scale is contingent upon developing low leak and low gas permeation vacuum cells using wafer-scale techniques. Here, we demonstrate a novel, low-leak-rate micro-knife bonding approach, enabling the realization of both atomic vapor cells and more complex evacuated atomic beam devices. These devices are fabricated using selective laser etching in a fused silica platform. The vapor cells are mechanically robust exhibiting shear-force strength ∼ 15 MPa, demonstrate long lifetimes ( > 1 year), low residual gas pressures ( ≪ 10 − 3 mbar ) , and leak rates below fine-leak testing sensitivity ( ≪ 2.8 × 10 − 10 mbar ⋅ l s − 1 ). Micro-knife bonding greatly simplifies the fabrication process for complex chip scale atom-beam devices and atomic vapor cells while identifying a path to future chip-scale cold atom devices, improved chip scale atomic clocks, and fieldable dissipation-dilution-limited optomechanics.Abstract Advanced integration technologies greatly enhance the prospects and reliability of practical quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and quantum information technologies. The performance and proliferation of these devices at chip scale is contingent upon developing low leak and low gas permeation vacuum cells using wafer-scale techniques. Here, we demonstrate a novel, low-leak-rate micro-knife bonding approach, enabling the realization of both atomic vapor cells and more complex evacuated atomic beam devices. These devices are fabricated using selective laser etching in a fused silica platform. The vapor cells are mechanically robust exhibiting shear-force strength ∼ 15 MPa, demonstrate long lifetimes ( > 1 year), low residual gas pressures ( ≪ 10 − 3 mbar ) , and leak rates below fine-leak testing sensitivity ( ≪ 2.8 × 10 − 10 mbar ⋅ l s − 1 ). Micro-knife bonding greatly simplifies the fabrication process for complex chip scale atom-beam devices and atomic vapor cells while identifying a path to future chip-scale cold atom devices, improved chip scale atomic clocks, and fieldable dissipation-dilution-limited optomechanics.

Quantum Science and TechnologyJul 16, 20261 citation

Wafer-Scale Micro-Knife Sealed Vacuum Cells for Quantum Devices

Megan Kelleher, Konrad Ziegler, Jeremy Robin +10 more

Advanced integration technologies greatly enhance the prospects and reliability of practical quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and quantum information technologies. The performance and proliferation of these devices at chip-scale is contingent upon developing low leak and low gas permeation vacuum cells using wafer-scale techniques. Here we demonstrate both evacuated atomic beam cells and atomic vapor cells using plastic deformation micro-knife bonding of selectively etched fused silica wafers. The cells are characterized using saturated absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements. Vapor cells are mechanically robust exhibiting sheer-force strength ( $\sim 15$ MPa), demonstrate long lifetimes ( $> 1$ year), low residual gas pressures $ (\ll 10^{-3} \, \text{mbar}) $, and leak rates below fine-leak testing sensitivity ($ \ll 2.8 \times 10^{-10} \frac{\text{mBar} \cdot \text{L}}{\text{s}}$). Micro-knife bonding greatly simplifies the fabrication process for complex chip scale atom-beam devices and atomic vapor cells while identifying a path to future chip-scale cold atom devices, improved chip scale atomic clocks, and fieldable dissipation-dilution-limited optomechanics.Advanced integration technologies greatly enhance the prospects and reliability of practical quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and quantum information technologies. The performance and proliferation of these devices at chip-scale is contingent upon developing low leak and low gas permeation vacuum cells using wafer-scale techniques. Here we demonstrate both evacuated atomic beam cells and atomic vapor cells using plastic deformation micro-knife bonding of selectively etched fused silica wafers. The cells are characterized using saturated absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements. Vapor cells are mechanically robust exhibiting sheer-force strength ($\sim 15$MPa), demonstrate long lifetimes ($> 1$ year), low residual gas pressures $ (\ll 10^{-3} \, \text{mbar}) $, and leak rates below fine-leak testing sensitivity ($\ll 2.8 \times 10^{-10} \frac{\text{mBar} \cdot \text{L}}{\text{s}}$). Micro-knife bonding greatly simplifies the fabrication process for complex chip scale atom-beam devices and atomic vapor cells while identifying a path to future chip-scale cold atom devices, improved chip scale atomic clocks, and fieldable dissipation-dilution-limited optomechanics.

arXiv:2602.00390Jan 30, 20260 citations

Atom chip and quantum optics

Shengwang Du

Jan 1, 20060 citations

\sim 15

MPa), demonstrate long lifetimes (

> 1

year), low residual gas pressures $ (\ll 10^{-3} \, \text{mbar})

, and leak rates below fine-leak testing sensitivity (

\ll 2.8 \times 10^{-10} \frac{\text{mBar} \cdot \text{L}}{\text{s}}$). Micro-knife bonding greatly simplifies the fabrication process for complex chip scale atom-beam devices and atomic vapor cells while identifying a path to future chip-scale cold atom devices, improved chip scale atomic clocks, and fieldable dissipation-dilution-limited optomechanics.