Christopher P. Tigges

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Demonstration of Junction Surface Ion Traps

We present the design, fabrication and experimental implementation of surface ion traps with Y-shaped junctions. The traps are designed to minimize the pseudopotential variations in the junction region at the symmetric intersection of three linear segments. We experimentally demonstrate robust linear and junction shuttling with greater than 106 round-trip shuttles without ion loss. By minimizing the direct line of sight between trapped ions and dielectric surfaces, negligible day-to-day and trap-to-trap variations are observed. In addition to high-fidelity single-ion shuttling, multiple-ion chains survive splitting, ion-position swapping and recombining routines. The development of two-dimensional trapping structures is an important milestone for ion-trap quantum computing and quantum simulations.

High-speed, sub-pull-in voltage MEMS switching.

We have proposed and demonstrated MEMS switching devices that take advantage of the dynamic behavior of the MEMS devices to provide lower voltage actuation and higher switching speeds. We have explored the theory behind these switching techniques and have demonstrated these techniques in a range of devices including MEMS micromirror devices and in-plane parallel plate MEMS switches. In both devices we have demonstrated switching speeds under one microsecond which has essentially been a firm limit in MEMS switching. We also developed low-loss silicon waveguide technology and the ability to incorporate high-permittivity dielectric materials with MEMS. The successful development of these technologies have generated a number of new projects and have increased both the MEMS switching and optics capabilities of Sandia National Laboratories.

Dynamic Pull-In and Switching for Sub-Pull-In Voltage Electrostatic Actuation

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a new MEMS switching technique using elastic potential energy to drive switching with electrostatic force used for switch control. This approach allows switching into pulled-in states at voltages significantly less than the quasi-static pull-in voltage. We have demonstrated switching into a pulled-in position using voltages much less than the pull-in voltage with a large torsional MEMS mirror, a high-speed torsional MEMS mirror, and a high-speed rectilinear MEMS switch that operates horizontally. Both high-speed devices have demonstrated switching in less than 500 ns over relatively large gaps.