Chinese Optics Letters, Volume. 23, Issue 10, (2025)
On-chip Si3N4 Grating outcoupler for magneto-optical trap in cold atom system [Early Posting]
Cold atoms play an important role in fundamental physics, precision timekeeping, quantum sensing and quantum computing. The production of cold atoms requires magneto-optical traps (MOTs), but current MOT consists of a variety of complex and bulky optical infrastructures that hamper their practical application. The development of integrated photonic circuits offers the opportunity to achieve integrated MOTs. Here, we take advantage of the ultra-low loss of the silicon nitride platform to design a grating outcoupler for coupling beam from waveguide to free space. The device operates at a wavelength of 780 nm with experimental emission angle of 24.38°. Additionally, by appropriately designing the positions of the grating outcouplers on the chip, we propose an on-chip emission system to demonstrate the MOT application. The intersection area is about 2 mm×2 mm at a height of 6 mm on the chip. Our work provides the possibility of realizing on-chip MOTs.