Open AccessMicrofabrication of a high‐density, non‐neutral antimatter trap
Author(s) -
Narimannezhad Alireza,
Jennings Joshah,
Weber Marc H.,
Lynn Kelvin G.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
micro and nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1750-0443
DOI - 10.1049/mnl.2014.0239
Subject(s) - antimatter , trap (plumbing) , antihydrogen , microfabrication , nanotechnology , materials science , photolithography , silicon , fabrication , sputtering , etching (microfabrication) , aspect ratio (aeronautics) , ion trap , reactive ion etching , engineering physics , optoelectronics , ion , nuclear physics , physics , thin film , electron , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , layer (electronics) , positron , meteorology , quantum mechanics
A unique approach for the fabrication of long‐aspect ratio microtubes is presented for an antimatter trap. Conventionally, non‐neutral antimatter is stored using a Penning‐Malmberg trap, a single tube with aspect ratios being of the order of less than 10:1. Parallel microtubes with aspect ratios of 1000:1 have the potential to store many orders of magnitude more. The silicon industry has paved the way to microelectromechanical systems technologies which have been utilised in this research. Standard processes such as photolithography, deep reactive ion etching, sputtering and thermo‐compression bonding were all used; however, unique methods of these processes were developed to overcome many engineering challenges and realise successful trapping.