# US 12,181,541 B2 · Atomic vapor cell, an integrated atomic/photonic device and apparatus comprising the atomic vapor cell, and a method for fabricating an atomic vapor cell

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,181,541 B2
- Document ID: US12181541B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/110,638
- Filed: 2023-02-16
- Published: 2023-08-31
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2022-02-16
- Assignees: Fundació Institut De CièNcies FotòNiques; Institució Catalana De Recerca I Estudis AvançAts; Politecnico Di Milano; Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche
- Applicants: Fundació Institut De Ciencies Fotoniques; Institució Catalana De Recerca I Estudis AvançAts; Politecnico Di Milano; Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche
- Inventors: Morgan Mitchell; Vito Giovanni Lucivero; Roberto Osellame; Giacomo Corrielli; Andrea Zanoni
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181541B2

## CPC

- G01R 33/26: using optical pumping
- G01R 33/0052: {Manufacturing aspects; Manufacturing of single devices, i.e. of semiconductor magnetic sensor chips (devices based on galvano-magnetic effect or the like H10N50/85)}
- G01R 33/032: using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday {or Cotton-Mouton effect}
- G01R 33/46: NMR spectroscopy
- G04F 5/14: using atomic clocks
- G04F 5/145: {using Coherent Population Trapping}
- G01N 24/006: {using optical pumping (magnetometers using optical pumping G01R33/26, optical pumping of lasers H01S3/091)}
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- G04F: TIME-INTERVAL MEASURING (measuring pulse characteristics G01R, e.g. G01R29/02; in radar or like systems G01S)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

Provided is an atomic vapor cell, for atomic or molecular spectroscopy, optical pumping, and/or spin-based atomic sensing, that includes a host substrate and defined there within a buried or non-buried chamber laser written in the host substrate without the need of a mask or photoresist, with either planar or three-dimensional geometry, and intended to contain an atomic vapor. Also provided are an integrated atomic/photonic device and an apparatus, in both cases including the presently disclosed atomic vapor cell, and a method for fabricating the presently disclosed atomic vapor cell.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An atomic vapor cell, for at least one of atomic or molecular spectroscopy, optical pumping, and spin-based atomic sensing, comprising a host substrate and defined there within a chamber for containing an atomic vapor, wherein said chamber is a buried or non-buried chamber laser written in said host substrate without the need of a mask or photoresist, with either planar or three-dimensional geometry.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 1, wherein the host substrate and chamber are configured and arranged to enable multiple optical access to an atomic interaction area of the chamber along at least two optical axes.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 1, further comprising, also laser written in the host substrate, a buried or non-buried reservoir and connecting channels fluidically communicating the chamber with said reservoir, wherein the reservoir is a is a planar or three-dimensional reservoir.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 3, wherein the reservoir has at least one open end defined at a face of the host substrate and the vapor cell further comprises a sealing substrate bonded to said face of the host substrate to seal said at least one open end, wherein said at least one open end was made to remove excess material from the laser writing process therethrough and to fill the reservoir with said atomic vapor or with a source of material originating said atomic vapor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 1, wherein at least the host substrate is transparent to a determined wavelength of a light beam used for a single or multiple optical access to the chamber for performing at least one of said atomic or molecular spectroscopy, optical pumping, and spin-based atomic sensing.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 5, wherein the chamber has at least a pair of respective opposite ends adjacent to respective opposite side facets of the host substrate, so that optical access along one dimension of the chamber is enabled for a light beam entering the chamber through one of said opposite ends and exits the same through the other of said opposite ends.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 5, wherein the chamber has at least two pairs of respective opposite ends adjacent to respective opposite side facets of pairs of opposite side facets of the host substrate, so that multiple optical access along two respective transversal dimensions of the chamber is enabled for two respective light beams, each entering the chamber through one of the opposite ends of a respective pair and exits the same through the other of said opposite ends.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The atomic vapor cell of claim 1, wherein the reservoir and the chamber at least one of:
further contain a buffer gas, and
are internally treated with the addition of a diffusion barrier to prevent atomic depolarizing collisions.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

An integrated atomic/photonic device, comprising the atomic vapor cell of claim 1 and at least one further photonic component defined or arranged on said host substrate or on a further host substrate.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The integrated atomic/photonic device of claim 9, wherein said at least one further photonic component is integrated on said host substrate or on said further host substrate.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The integrated atomic/photonic device of claim 9, wherein said at least one further photonic component is either a planar or non-planar waveguide-based photonic component laser written in said host substrate or in said further host substrate, or placed in a slot laser written in said host substrate or in said further host substrate.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The integrated atomic/photonic device of claim 10, wherein said at least one further photonic component is either a planar or non-planar waveguide-based photonic component laser written in said host substrate or in said further host substrate, or placed in a slot laser written in said host substrate or in said further host substrate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1, 10)

An apparatus, comprising at least one of the atomic vapor cell of claim 1 and the integrated atomic/photonic device of claim 10.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is at least one of the following apparatuses: a system for saturated absorption spectroscopy, an atomic spectroscopy/frequency reference, an atomic clock, an optically-pumped-magnetometer, a magnetic microscope, a spin-based atomic sensor, and an atomic gyroscope.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising optical fibres joint/glued to the vapor cell or to the atomic/photonic device so that laser light of one or multiple laser beams can input through at least one of said optical fibres, propagate through the chamber, and then output therefrom, after atomic interaction, though at least one other of said optical fibres.

### Claim 16

A method for fabricating an atomic vapor cell, for at least one of atomic or molecular spectroscopy, optical pumping, and spin-based atomic sensing, comprising providing a host substrate and defining there within a chamber for containing an atomic vapor, wherein the method comprises laser writing the chamber in said host substrate without the need of a mask or photoresist, in the form of a buried a buried or non-buried chamber with either planar or three-dimensional chamber.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
laser writing in the host substrate at least one of:
a reservoir and connecting channels fluidically communicating the chamber with said reservoir, wherein the reservoir is in the form of a non-planar three-dimensional reservoir and has at least one open end defined at a face of the host substrate, and
on a top or bottom surface of the host substrate, at least one of:
one or more buried chambers,
one or more non-buried chambers,
reservoirs, and
connecting channels;
at least one of:
removing excess material from the laser writing process of at least said buried chamber through said at least one open end of the reservoir, and
polishing the at least one of one or more non-buried chambers, reservoirs, and connecting channels through an open end thereof;
at least one of:
adding a deposition of a diffusion barrier to the inner walls of the chambers, and
filling the chambers with a buffer gas, to prevent atomic depolarizing collisions;
filling the reservoir with said atomic vapor or with a source of material originating said atomic vapor;
at least one of:
bonding a sealing substrate to said face of the host substrate to seal said at least one open end of the reservoir, and
bonding a sealing substrate on the top or bottom of the host substrate if at least one of one or more non-buried chambers, reservoirs, and connecting channels have been laser written on the top or bottom surface of the host substrate; and
diffusing the atomic vapor to reach the chamber.