Q-GALA

Quantum Gravimeter with Advanced LIDE-Based Atom Chips

When people think of electronic chips, they probably immediately have the image of a small silver rectangle in mind. Why? Because a large proportion of the chips used today – whether in computers, smartphones or technology in general – are based on silicon wafers. As many advantages as this has, one disadvantage becomes apparent when working with lasers: the silicon wafer is not transparent, meaning that only one side of the chip can be used.

The Q-GALA project aims to change this. Here, research is being conducted on glass-based atom chips. Atom chips generate strong magnetic fields over short distances in order to manipulate atoms with light and trap them magnetically. Using glass as a base makes it possible to rethink the concept of a quantum sensor entirely, as embedded conductor paths can be compactly integrated directly as part of the vacuum chamber. Glass serves not only as an electrical insulator, but thanks to LPKF’s LIDE technology, it can also be manufactured in a scalable manner.

The vision of the Q-GALA project is the further development of laboratory-based quantum sensors into micro quantum systems (MQS). This MQS serves as a universal platform in which all the functions required for operating a quantum system are combined. In addition to the core component (e.g. an atom chip), this includes all peripheral systems such as atomic sources and vacuum pumps.

This project has been successfully completed.

Project Partner

Leibniz Universität Hannover

LPKF Laser & Electronics SE

Contact Person

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marc Christopher Wurz
Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Mikroproduktionstechnik