Detecting and minimizing RF breakdown on microfabricated surface ion traps
ORAL
Abstract
RF breakdown is a major limiting factor in the maximum RF voltage microfabricated surface ion traps can sustain. The complicated physics involved in breakdown makes it difficult to predict a priori how susceptible new trap designs will be to this destructive process. We have developed two techniques for detecting RF breakdown events in situ, one using free-space RF field detectors, and the other monitoring the back-reflected RF signal from the trap itself. Here we describe these techniques and share the results of an extended study of RF breakdown on many different traps. Our results highlight the danger of ramping up the RF voltage too quickly for the initial use of a new trap. We present a procedure for safely turning on new traps, by increasing the voltage slowly and monitoring for breakdown. Also, we briefly describe our most recent fabrication efforts to mitigate breakdown in future traps.
*This material was funded in part by the ODNI, IARPA under the Logical Qubits (LogiQ) program. It was also supported in part by the U.S. DOE, Office of Science, ASCR Quantum Testbed Program. Sandia National Labs is managed and operated by NTESS LLC, a subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. DOE's NNSA under contract DE-NA0003525. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the DOE or the U.S. Government
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Publication:Wilson, Joshua M., et al. "In Situ Detection of RF Breakdown on Microfabricated Surface Ion Traps." ArXiv:2112.09723 [Physics, Physics:Quant-Ph], Dec. 2021. arXiv.org, http://arxiv.org/abs/2112.09723.
The above paper is currently out for review in a peer reviewed journal.
