Reaching extremely high vacuum in a room temperature ion trap.

Vacuum quality is crucial for extending ion lifetimes in large scale trapped-ion quantum simulators. Here, we present our work towards achieving extreme high vacuum (XHV) in a room-temperature blade trap for quantum simulation. Keeping our trap at room temperature offers advantages such as high numerical aperture from multiple directions and avoids complications from cryogenic systems such as vibrations. Achieving these pressures required careful design, including simulations to optimize system topology and pump placement, especially when utilizing off-the-shelf stainless steel vacuum components. We measured outgassing rates of all components and refined 'pre-baking' and 'baking' procedures to minimize contamination and achieve XHV. Using an ultra-high vacuum gauge, our fully assembled system—incorporating a segmented blade trap, Shapal blade holder, ~20 feet of Kapton-coated wire, four re-entrants and two 6 in viewports—reached a pressure of <1.5x10^-12 mbar. With two 1000 l/s non-evaporable getters (NEG) and a 75 l/s ion pump, we estimate the ultimate pressure to be in the high 10^-13 mbar regime, establishing a new benchmark for room-temperature trapped-ion systems.