National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Sandia Corporation

Daniel L Stick

Matthew G Blain

Christopher Todd DeRose

Michael Gehl

Randolph R Kay

Lambert Paul Parazzoli

Roy H Olsson

Darwin K Serkland

Grant Biedermann

Peter Schwindt

Bradley C Salzbrenner

Todd Andrew Barrick

Jonathan David Sterk

Jeffrey D Hunker

Hayden James McGuinness

Brian Mcfarland

Ryan J Law

A compact convertible single pass (SP)/double pass (DP) optical system is disclosed. The convertible optical system is convertible in the sense that the optical system can be configured to have any one of multiple configurations, including SP/DP, DP/SP, just SP, or just DP. This flexibility in the configuration is made possible by a compact baseplate with various predefined mounting points for the various optical elements required for the different configurations. Further, there is significant commonality among the optical elements required to implement the various configurations. For this reason, if one is cost constrained, one can start with the compact baseplate and populate it with the optical elements required for either the SP or DP configuration and later add the optical elements required to create the SP/DP or DP/SP configuration as funding permits.

Compact convertible universal single pass/double pass optical system

A photonic integrated circuit and a method for its manufacture are provided. In an embodiment, an intermetal dielectric layer, for example, a silicon oxide layer, is contiguous between an upper metal layer and a lower metal layer on a substrate. One or more waveguides having top and bottom faces are formed in respective waveguide layers within the intermetal dielectric layer between the upper and lower metal layers. There is a distance of at least 600 nm from the upper metal layer to the top face of the uppermost of the several waveguides. There is a distance of at least 600 nm from the lower metal layer to the bottom face of the lowermost of the several waveguides. The waveguides are formed of silicon nitride for longer wavelengths and alumina for shorter wavelengths. These dimensions and materials are favorable for CMOS processing, among other things.

Monolithic integration of optical waveguides with metal routing layers

In disclosed apparatus, a plurality of optical waveguides monolithically integrated on a surface ion trap substrate deliver light to the trapping sites. Electrical routing traces defined in one or more metallization levels deliver electrical signals to electrodes of the surface electrode ion trap. A plurality of photodetectors are integrated on the substrate and arranged to detect light from respective trapping sites.

Trapped ion platform with optical input and output

A microfabricated ion frequency standard (i.e. an ion clock) is disclosed with a permanently-sealed vacuum package containing a source of ytterbium (Yb) ions and an octupole ion trap. The source of Yb ions is a micro-hotplate which generates Yb atoms which are then ionized by a ultraviolet light-emitting diode or a field-emission electron source. The octupole ion trap, which confines the Yb ions, is formed from suspended electrodes on a number of stacked-up substrates. A microwave source excites a ground-state transition frequency of the Yb ions, with a frequency-doubled vertical-external-cavity laser (VECSEL) then exciting the Yb ions up to an excited state to produce fluorescent light which is used to tune the microwave source to the ground-state transition frequency, with the microwave source providing a precise frequency output for the ion clock.

Microfabricated ion frequency standard

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Daniel L Stick