Field-defined periodicity
A coherent two-axis SAW field can create a regular checkerboard of radial RF-null lines without assigning a separate RF electrode feature to every lattice site.
Wave-defined ion trapping
Shape the field.
Move the trap.
IdentiQ is developing a planar ion-trap architecture that uses coherent surface-acoustic-wave electric fields to define reconfigurable radial RF-null arrays.
Explore the architecture
Research-stage platform
PSEUDOPOTENTIAL / XY PLANEIDEALIZED MODEL
IDT: p = λ/2 · w = g = λ/4 ION ARRAY @ RF NULLS
IdentiQIDENTITY A wave-defined approach to scalable trapped-ion hardware.
01 / THESIS
A different control surface
Instead of defining every RF feature in metal, define a lattice in the acoustic field.
Two orthogonal standing surface acoustic waves can produce a checkerboard of radial RF nulls above a piezoelectric chip. Spatial phase shifts translate the pattern globally, while dedicated DC electrodes provide axial confinement and compensation.
02 / ARCHITECTURE
Four coherent directions.
One wave-defined plane.
How the field
becomes a trap.
- 01
Launch
Opposing IDTs—or an IDT and reflector—establish coherent standing SAWs along two in-plane axes.
- 02
Intersect
The evanescent electric fields overlap above the surface, creating an alternating checkerboard of RF-null lines.
- 03
Complete
Separate static electrodes close the third dimension and compensate stray fields. The SAW field alone is not a complete 3D trap.
03 / CONTROL
Program the field, not the metal
Control both axes.
Spatial phases translate the two-dimensional pattern. Frequencies set wavelength and IDT geometry; exact stationary RF nulls require frequency lock and a common temporal RF phase.
LATTICE SPACINGdlat = λ / √2
GLOBAL TRANSLATION(Δx, Δy) = (−Δφx/k, −Δφy/k)
SINGLE-FINGER IDTp = λ/2, w = g = λ/4
2D FIELD CONTROL
λx =
px =
λy =
py =
Equal frequencies and a common temporal phase preserve the stationary RF-null lattice.
04 / ADVANTAGES
Why define the trap
with waves?
The architecture moves part of the spatial patterning task from dense local RF metal to a coherent acoustic field. These are design opportunities to validate—not measured performance claims.
Global electronic translation
Independent spatial phases translate the complete null pattern in two dimensions while preserving pair separations at fixed wavelength.
Wavelength-set geometry
Frequency sets the acoustic wavelength and nominal site spacing, creating a direct design link between the RF network and lattice geometry.
Planar integration path
The wave-defined radial pattern can be co-designed with dedicated DC confinement, optical access, compensation and readout on a planar platform.
Practical benefit depends on crystal anisotropy, acoustic loss, RF-to-SAW transfer, thermal loading, phase coherence and a compatible three-dimensional DC geometry.
05 / PROOF PATH
The honest next questions
From elegant field
to working hardware.
Close 3D confinement
Co-design finite SAW geometry with DC electrodes and evaluate full driven escape paths.
Calibrate the chain
Measure RF input → SAW amplitude → vacuum potential at the ion plane.
Control micromotion
Validate multichannel phase stability, null placement, and compensation under realistic errors.
Measure the noise
Characterize heating, thermal load, acoustic loss, and surface-related noise in UHV.
06 / CONNECT