Affiliation:
1. University of Colorado
2. Now at PsiQuantum
Abstract
We describe a process for fabricating a wafer-scale array of alkali
metal vapor cells with low residual gas pressure. We show that by
etching long, thin channels between the cells on the Si wafer surface,
the residual gas pressure in the evacuated vapor cell can be reduced
to below 0.5 kPa (4 Torr) with a yield above 50%. The low residual gas
pressure in these mass-producible alkali vapor cells can enable a new
generation of low-cost chip-scale atomic devices such as vapor cell
optical clocks, wavelength references, and Rydberg sensors.
Funder
National Institute of Standards and
Technology