Additively manufactured ultra-high vacuum chamber for portable quantum technologies

• DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2021.101898
• Publication Date: 2021-02-15T19:24:42Z
• Authors: N. Cooper; L.A. Coles; S. Everton; I. Maskery; R.P. Campion; S. Madkhaly; C. Morley; J. O’Shea; W. Evans; R. Saint; P. Krüger; F. Oručević; C. Tuck; R.D. Wildman; T.M. Fromhold; L. Hackermüller
• Keywords: Outgassing; Ultra-high vacuum; Cryostat; Vacuum chamber

Metal-based additive manufacturing (AM) represents a paradigm change in engineering and production methods across multiple industries sectors. AM enable mass reduction performance optimisation well beyond that achievable via conventional manufacturing, thereby impacting significantly on aerospace space technologies. Technologies relying high ultra-high vacuum (UHV), such as x-ray photo-electron spectroscopy, photo-sensors, cameras cryostats, could also benefit greatly from AM. Despite recent advances processing of metals, additively manufactured UHV chambers have so far not been achieved. Reducing the equipment is particularly critical for development portable cold atom systems, which are expected to underpin next generation sensing timekeeping technologies allow novel space-based sensors fundamental research. We demonstrate here an chamber reaching pressure below $10^{-10}$ mbar, enabling cloud $^{85}$Rb atoms be trapped - starting point many precision devices. The aluminium alloy AlSi10Mg by laser powder bed fusion has less than third commercially-available equivalent. Outgassing analysis based spectrometry was performed it demonstrated even without active pumping system remains $10^{-9}$ mbar regime up 48 hours.