DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2009-00275-5
Thermal properties of AlN-based atom chips
J. Armijo, C.L. Garrido Alzar and I. BouchouleLaboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique, UMR CNRS 8501, 91127 Palaiseau Cedex, France
isabelle.bouchoule@institutoptique.fr
Received 16 June 2009 / Published online 6 November 2009
Abstract
We have studied the thermal properties of
atom chips consisting of
high thermal conductivity aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates on which
gold microwires are directly deposited.
We have measured the heating of wires of several widths and with different
thermal couplings to the copper mount holding the chip.
The results are in good agreement with a theoretical model where the copper
mount is treated as a heat sink and the thermal interface resistance
between the wire and the substrate is vanishing. We give analytical formulas
describing the different transient heating regimes and the steady state.
We identify criteria to optimize the design of a
chip as well as the maximal
currents Ic that can be fed in the wires.
For a 600 
m thick-chip glued on a copper block with Epotek H77,
we find Ic = 16 A for a 3 m high, 200 m wide-wire.
03.75.Be - Atom and neutron optics.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2009
