Impact of surface cleaning and ion-electrode distance on trapped ion motional heating

Motional heating of trapped ions can limit the fidelity of quantum logic operations as well as the accuracy and precision of ion-based atomic clocks. Hence, there is a clear need to characterize and understand the underlying mechanisms of this heating, and ultimately, reduce its magnitude. Here, we perform both \textit{in situ} and \textit{ex situ} plasma cleaning as well as \textit{ex situ} ion milling to reduce the motional heating rates measured using surface-electrode ion traps at room temperature. Following surface treatment, we observe a significant change in the electrode-temperature dependence of the measured heating rate. Results showing the ion-electrode distance dependence having $1/d^{4}$ scaling in an uncleaned trap will also be presented. Strategies to mitigate motional heating and constraints put on current theoretical models will be discussed.