Patent ID: 11879952
Assignee: GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 17:
18. A process for making an atomic vapor cell using anodic bonding, the process comprising:
providing a first optical window consisting essentially of transparent nonconducting material and comprising a first window bonding surface and a first cell window wall, the transparent nonconducting material of the first optical window being essentially free of electrically conductive materials including silicon to minimize distortion of radiofrequency fields by the first optical window;
forming a first thin film comprising anodic bonding material on the first window bonding surface;
disposing an intermediate frame on the first optical window, the intermediate frame consisting essentially of transparent nonconducting material, and comprising: a first frame bonding surface opposing the first window bonding surface, a second frame bonding surface, and a cell frame wall, the transparent nonconducting material of the intermediate frame being essentially free of electrically conductive materials including silicon to minimize distortion of radiofrequency fields by the intermediate frame;
forming a second thin film comprising anodic bonding material on the second window bonding surface;
anodically bonding the first frame bonding surface of the intermediate frame to the first window bonding surface of the first optical window;
disposing a second optical window on the intermediate frame such that the intermediate frame is interposed between the first optical window and the second optical window, and the second optical window consisting essentially of transparent nonconducting material and comprising: a second window bonding surface opposing the second frame bonding surface, and a second cell window wall, the transparent nonconducting material of the second optical window being essentially free of electrically conductive materials including silicon to minimize distortion of radiofrequency fields by the second optical window;
anodically bonding the second window bonding surface of the second optical window to the second frame bonding surface of the intermediate frame;
forming, in response to the anodically bonding, a cell aperture bounded by the first cell window wall of the first optical window, the cell frame wall of the intermediate frame, and the second cell window wall of the second optical window; and
hermetically sealing the atomic vapor cell in response to anodically bonding the first optical window and the second optical window to the intermediate frame to make the atomic vapor cell.