Ytterbium ion trapping and microfabrication of ion trap arrays

Over the past 15 years ion traps have demonstrated all the building blocks required of a quantum computer. Despite this success, trapping ions remains a challenging task, with the requirement for extensive laser systems and vacuum systems to perform operations on only a handful of qubits. To scale these proof of principle experiments into something that can outperform a classical computer requires an advancement in the trap technologies that will allow multiple trapping zones, junctions and utilize scalable fabrication technologies. I will discuss the construction of an ion trapping experiment, focussing on my work towards the laser stabilization and ion trap design but also covering the experimental setup as a whole. The vacuum system that I designed allows the mounting and testing of a variety of ion trap chips, with versatile optical access and a fast turn around time. I will also present the design and fabrication of a microfabricated Y junction and a 2- dimensional ion trap lattice. I achieve a suppression of barrier height and small variation of secular frequency through the Y junction, aiding to the junctions applicability to adiabatic shuttling operations. I also report the design and fabrication of a 2-D ion trap lattice. Such structures have been proposed as a means to implement quantum simulators and to my knowledge is the first microfabricated lattice trap. Electrical testing of the trap structures was undertaken to investigate the breakdown voltage of microfabricated structures with both static and radio frequency voltages. The results from these tests negate the concern over reduced rf voltage breakdown and in fact demonstrates breakdown voltages significantly above that typically required for ion trapping. This may allow ion traps to be designed to operate with higher voltages and greater ion-electrode separations, reducing anomalous heating. Lastly I present my work towards the implementation of magnetic fields gradients and microwaves on chip. This may allow coupling of the ions internal state to its motion using microwaves, thus reducing the requirements for the use of laser systems

Effect of water on electrical properties of Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO) as electrical insulating material

This paper describes the properties of refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) as having the potential to be used as insulating liquid. There are several important properties such as electrical breakdown, dielectric dissipation factor, specific gravity, flash point, viscosity and pour point of RBDPO that was measured and compared to commercial mineral oil which is largely in current use as insulating liquid in power transformers. Experimental results of the electrical properties revealed that the average breakdown voltage of the RBDPO sample, without the addition of water at room temperature, is 13.368 kV. The result also revealed that due to effect of water, the breakdown voltage is lower than that of commercial mineral oil (Hyrax). However, the flash point and the pour point of RBDPO is very high compared to mineral oil thus giving it advantageous possibility to be used safely as insulating liquid. The results showed that RBDPO is greatly influenced by water, causing the breakdown voltage to decrease and the dissipation factor to increase; this is attributable to the high amounts of dissolved water

The Microionizer - A Solid State Ion Source for High Pressure Mass Spectrometry

This work describes the development of a novel, microfabricated solid-state ionization source (a “microionizer”) for use with high pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS). HPMS is intended for miniature, low-cost, portable instrumentation. As such, the microionizer is designed as a small, low-power ion source compatible with the 1 Torr air environment of HPMS. The microionizer is a field effect device based upon silicon-on-insulator technology that functions as a dual-source, producing field emission for internal electron impact ionization (EI) and external field ionization. External ion injection into the miniature cylindrical ion trap (mCIT) was performed in helium, nitrogen, or air buffer gases at 1 Torr using traditional ion sources (thermionic emitter and glow discharge) for proof-of-concept experiments. Further studies in helium and air examined the effects of pressure, ion kinetic energy, and ion trap potential well depth changes with drive radiofrequency (RF) signal frequency and amplitude. Results indicated that mass spectral signal intensity can be maximized at pressures ranging from 10 to 1000 mTorr by tuning ion kinetic energy between 20 to 250 eV and increasing potential well depth aids external ion injection. Nine generations of microionizers were fabricated to optimize microionizer performance. The first generation microionizer was coupled with HPMS as a field emission source and generated helium and air-based high pressure mass spectra. However, high current draw limited the microionizer lifetime and prevented field strengths necessary for field ionization. Generations two through nine encompassed processing variations of device fabrication procedures, development of robust electrical contacts, and microionizer device incorporation into the ion trap electrode stack, leading to improved microionizer signal intensity and low power (< 1 mW average power) consumption. The ninth generation microionizer demonstrated operation as both a field emission and field ionization source in air buffer gas at 1 Torr. Electric field strengths for field emission were near 1 MV/cm, while field ionization required greater than 1.8 MV/cm. The microionizer generated mass spectra of volatile organic compounds (such as benzene and dimethylaniline) in both modes and lifetime was found to be 9 h for field emission and 490 h for field ionization under continuous mass spectral acquisition.Doctor of Philosoph

High voltage solar array study Final report

High voltage solar array stud

Dielectrics - Digest of literature, volume 28, 1964

Dielectric constants, dipole moments, relaxation times, conduction phenomena, insulating films, breakdown, materials, and applications of dielectrics - annotated bibliograph