Gallium phosphide as a new material for anodically bonded atomic sensors

Abstract

Miniaturized atomic sensors are often fabricated using anodic bonding of silicon and borosilicate glass. Here we describe a technique for fabricating anodically bonded alkali-metal cells using GaP and Pyrex. GaP is a non-birefringent semiconductor that is transparent at alkali-metal resonance wavelengths, allowing new sensor geometries. GaP also has a higher thermal conductivity and lower He permeability than borosilicate glass and can be anodically bonded below 200 degrees C, which can also be advantageous in other vacuum sealing applications. (C) 2014 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.