This article demonstrates the use of metasurfaces to generate optical tweezer arrays for trapping single atoms. The researchers explore the scalability of these arrays, which are key for quantum computing, simulation, and metrology. They use holographic metasurfaces made of high-refractive-index materials like silicon-rich silicon nitride (SRN) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) to create highly uniform, scalable tweezer arrays with tight spacing as small as 1.5 μm. This design allows for the generation of optical trap arrays with over 360,000 traps, which is a significant improvement compared to previous methods.
The use of metasurfaces enables direct, efficient manipulation of light at the nanoscale, overcoming the limitations of traditional optical elements like acousto-optic deflectors and spatial light modulators. The authors highlight the high uniformity of the arrays, demonstrated through the trapping of more than 100 single strontium (Sr) atoms in arbitrary geometries. The scalability of these metasurface arrays suggests their potential for future applications in large-scale quantum technologies, such as atomic clocks, quantum sensing, and simulation.
This work presents a significant advance in the field of optical tweezers, where metasurfaces offer a more efficient, scalable, and robust platform for trapping and manipulating ultracold atoms compared to existing technologies.
OMeda (Shanghai Omedasemi Co.,Ltd) was founded in 2021 by 3 doctors with more than 10 years of experience in nanpfabrication. It currently has 15 employees and has rich experience in nanofabrication (coating, lithography, etching, two-photon printing, bonding) and other processes. We support nanofabrication of 4/6/8-inch wafers.
