Wafer-Level Filling of Microfabricated Atomic Vapor Cells Based on Thin-Film Deposition and Photolysis of Cesium Azide

Published

March 15, 2007

Author(s)

Li-Anne Liew, John M. Moreland, V Gerginov

Abstract

The thin-film deposition and photodecomposition of cesium azide are demonstrated and used to fill arrays of miniaturized atomic resonance cells with cesium and nitrogen buffer gas for chip-scale atomic-based instruments. Arrays of silicon cells are batch fabricated on a wafer into which cesium azide is deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation. After vacuum sealing, the cells are then irradiated with ultraviolet radiation, causing the azide is photodissociate into pure cesium and nitrogen in-situ. This technology integrates the vapor-cell fabrication and filling procedures into one continuous and wafer-level parallel process, and results in cells that are optically transparent and chemically pure.

Citation

Applied Physics Letters

Volume

90

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

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Keywords

atomic clock, azide, cesium, microfabrication, vapor cell

Citation

Liew, L. , Moreland, J. and Gerginov, V. (2007), Wafer-Level Filling of Microfabricated Atomic Vapor Cells Based on Thin-Film Deposition and Photolysis of Cesium Azide, Applied Physics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=32542 (Accessed December 30, 2024)