Nanostructured Alkali-Metal Vapor Cells

Abstract

Atom-light interactions in micro-and nanoscale systems hold great promise for alternative technologies based on integrated emitters and optical modes. We present the design architecture, construction method, and characterization of an all-glass alkali-metal vapor cell with nanometer-scale internal structure. Our cell has a glue-free design that allows versatile optical access, in particular with high numerical aperture optics, and incorporates a compact integrated heating system in the form of an external deposited indium tin oxide layer. By performing spectroscopy in different illumination and detection schemes, we investigate atomic densities and velocity distributions in various nanoscopic landscapes. We apply a two-photon excitation scheme to atoms confined in one dimension within our cells, achieving resonance line widths more than an order of magnitude smaller than the Doppler width. We also demonstrate sub-Doppler line widths for atoms confined in two dimensions to micron-sized channels. Furthermore, we illustrate control over vapor density within our cells through nanoscale confinement alone, which could offer a scalable route towards room-temperature devices with single atoms within an interaction volume. Our design offers a robust platform for miniaturized devices that could easily be combined with integrated photonic circuits.

Collective effects in the photon statistics of thermal atomic ensembles

“…In fact, in Ref. [42] where the author presents a study of the photon statistics of a thermal vapor confined in a nano-cell [54][55][56], we observe exactly that. The confinement regimes of order λ within these nano-cells means that the atoms can be closer to the surface, experiencing the typical atom-surface shift of hundreds of megahertz, corresponding roughly to ∆/Γ ∼ 15 [56].…”

“…Further experimental work will be needed to determine the necessary parameters to obtain g (2) (0) → 0. Moreover, current nano-cells' flexibility allows the production of arbitrary internal geometries and exploration of different dimensionality [54]. A combination of these features may be a promising avenue to generate single-photon sources with thermal vapors.…”

Collective effects in the photon statistics of thermal atomic ensembles

“…In fact, in Ref. [43] where the author presented a study of the photon statistics of a thermal vapor confined in a nanocell [57][58][59], we observe exactly that. The confinement regimes of order λ within these nanocells means that the atoms can be closer to the surface, experiencing the typical atom-surface shift of hundreds of megahertz, corresponding roughly to / ∼ 15 [59].…”

“…Further experimental work will be needed to determine the necessary parameters to obtain g (2) (0) → 0. Moreover, current nanocells' flexibility allows the production of arbitrary internal geometries and exploration of different dimensionality [57]. A combination of these features may be a promising avenue to generate single-photon sources with thermal vapors.…”

Laser-written vapor cells for chip-scale atomic sensing and spectroscopy

“…Fabrication techniques based on micromachined structures in silicon, which usually employ anodic bonding between Si and Borofloat glass substrates to make MEMS vapor cells [30], have shown great scalability and stability properties. Alternatively, photolithography of a photoresist, in combination with etching and glassblowing techniques, has been used to fabricate atomic microchannels [31] and, more recently, nanostructured alkali-metal vapor cells [32,33]. However, due to the planar bonding or lithographic strategy, all these cells do not show 3D versatility and have limited optical access.…”