Scaling Ion Traps Using Heterogenous Integration

Advancing ion trap-based quantum computers requires integrated technology due to the limited optical access available in vacuum chambers. Thousands of ions cannot be reasonably addressed by strictly using external lasers and imaging systems. However, integrating all the needed technology into a single device has proven time consuming, challenging, and prohibitive. The next generations of ion traps will greatly benefit from various levels of heterogenous integration (HI). While the exact HI implementation may vary, a demonstration of its potential is necessary for supporting future development of the technology. Thus far, traps have had strictly monolithic integration – all the technology is integrated into a single device. In this work, we are demonstrating methods for heterogenous integration of ion traps where the ion trap is combined with a separate optical chip. This proof of concept heterogeneously integrated trapping device has minimal capability but tackles some of the harder concepts like packaging and alignment, and trapping.