Cryostat Socket with Spring Pin Insert for Quick Ion Trap Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ion trap devices for quantum computing face challenges in easy and precise mounting, as well as quick exchange, within cryogenic environments, particularly in closed-cycle cryostats where mounting from below is necessary, complicating thermal contact and optical access.
Innovation Solution
A cryostat socket design featuring a housing frame with a spring pin insert and a housing cover that exerts a compressive force on the substrate, pressing the ion trap device-mounted substrate onto contact pins within the spring pin insert, allowing for easy assembly and quick exchange of the ion trap device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the ion trap device is mounted from below in a closed-cycle cryostat, then the mounting can be performed, but the mounting and replacing becomes more difficult in practice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional mounting approach by providing access to the ion trap device from above rather than from below. The socket structure allows the ion trap to be lowered into position and secured from the top, making mounting and replacement operations significantly easier while maintaining secure thermal and electrical connections
2Reliability
If a secure mounting structure is used, then the ion trap device can be held firmly, but the exchange of the ion trap device becomes slower
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into a reusable socket structure that remains in the cryostat and a removable ion trap device. This segmentation allows the complex secure mounting structure to be prepared in advance, while only the simpler ion trap device needs to be exchanged, significantly reducing exchange time while maintaining mounting security
Solution Approach 2:
The socket is pre-assembled with all necessary mounting, thermal, and electrical connection components before the ion trap device is installed. This preliminary preparation allows for rapid device exchange without requiring complex assembly operations during the exchange process itself
3Reliability
If the ion trap device is operated at low temperatures, then interference on the ions is minimized, but the mounting and thermal contact requirements become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The socket structure merges thermal contact functionality, electrical connection, and mechanical mounting into a single integrated component. This consolidation ensures that thermal contact is established automatically as part of the mounting process, reducing the need for separate precision alignment operations while maintaining reliable thermal coupling at cryogenic temperatures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables quick and easy mounting and exchange of ion trap devices while maintaining good thermal contact and optical access, essential for efficient operation in cryogenic environments.
Implementation Method 1
contact pins resiliently received in the base plate
Data Source
AI summary
A cryostat socket for holding an ion trap device mounted on a substrate in a cryostat includes a housing frame provided for pre-assembly in the cryostat. A pin insert is arranged in the housing frame. The pin insert includes a base plate and contact pins. The contact pins are arranged in an array. A housing cover has a receptacle for the substrate. The housing cover, when assembled with the housing frame, exerts a compressive force on a front side of the substrate by which a rear side of the substrate is pressed onto the contact pins.