Patent Application
20240355607
The present application relates generally to an ultra-high vacuum seal assembly, an ultra-high vacuum assembly, and method of making the ultra-high vacuum seal assembly. More specifically, the present application relates generally to an ultra-high vacuum seal assembly, an ultra-high vacuum assembly, and method of making the ultra-high vacuum seal assembly for a quantum computer.
Quantum computers often require electrical signals to transmit from an out-of-vacuum source to an in-vacuum source. However, traditional methods, such as pin-type electrical feedthrough methods, may not achieve high density transmission of the electrical signals, such as fifty signals or more per square inch. Additionally, traditional methods may require an electrical feedthrough apparatus of an electrical feedthrough assembly to be bonded to various other components of the electrical feedthrough assembly, which may make the electrical feedthrough apparatus difficult, or impossible, to reuse once dissembled from the various other components of the electrical feedthrough assembly. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, many of these identified deficiencies and problems have been solved by developing solutions that are structured in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, many examples of which are described in detail herein.
In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provided herein include methods and apparatuses to provide for an ultra-high vacuum seal assembly, an ultra-high vacuum assembly, and a method of making the ultra-high vacuum seal assembly.
In various aspects, an ultra-high vacuum assembly for a quantum computer is provided. The ultra-high vacuum assembly can include a plate, an enclosure, and an ultra-high vacuum seal assembly positioned between the plate and the enclosure. The ultra-high vacuum seal assembly can include a circuit board, a first ring, and a second ring. The circuit board can include a first surface and a second surface that is opposite the first surface. The circuit board can also include a via array that is in electrical communication with the first surface and the second surface of the circuit board. The first ring can be positioned directly on the first surface of the circuit board and the second ring can be positioned directly on the second surface of the circuit board. In various examples, the first ring and the second ring include indium (In).
In various examples, the ultra-high vacuum seal assembly can further include a first gasket and a second gasket, the first ring and the second ring can be positioned between the first gasket and the second gasket. The first gasket can include at least one of copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), or gold (Au), and the second gasket can include at least one of Cu, Al, or Au.
In various examples, the enclosure can include a groove. The second ring and the second gasket can be positioned within the groove of the enclosure such that the enclosure makes contact with the second surface of the circuit board, when the ultra-high vacuum assembly is assembled. In various examples, the second ring can be positioned within the groove of the enclosure such that the enclosure is positioned directly on the second surface of the circuit board, when the ultra-high vacuum assembly is assembled.
In various examples, the circuit board can include at least one of aluminum nitride (AlN) or alumina (Al2O3). Also, a thickness of the circuit board can be at least 120 mils.
In various examples, the ultra-high vacuum assembly can include a bolt, the bolt can extend through the circuit board. Also, the bolt can extend, at least partially, through the plate and the enclosure.
In various examples, the enclosure of the ultra-high vacuum assembly can include a chamber that can be configured to withstand a pressure less than 100 nanopascals (nPa). The circuit board can be configured to provide a hermetic seal between the chamber and an ambient environment. In various examples, the ultra-high vacuum assembly can include a vacuum pump and the vacuum pump can be in fluid communication with the chamber. In various examples, the vacuum pump causes, or is configured to cause, the pressure that is less than the 100 nPa to the chamber.
In various aspects, an ultra-high vacuum seal assembly for a quantum computer is provided. The ultra-high vacuum seal assembly can include a circuit board, a first ring, and a second ring. The circuit board can include a first surface and a second surface that is opposite the first surface. The circuit board can also include a via array that is in electrical communication with the first surface and the second surface of the circuit board. In various examples, the first ring and the second ring can include indium (In).
In various examples, the ultra-high vacuum seal assembly can include a first gasket and a second gasket. The first ring and the second ring can be positioned between the first gasket and the second gasket.
In various aspects, a method of manufacturing an ultra-high vacuum seal assembly is provided. The method can include preparing at least a portion of a first ring and at least a portion of a second ring with an acid, which can be HCl. The method can also include pressing the first ring on a first surface of a substrate and pressing the second ring on a second surface of the substrate, wherein the first surface of the substrate is opposite the second surface of the substrate. The first ring and the second ring can include indium. The method can also include forming a via array on the substrate such that the via array is in electrical communication with the first surface and the second surface of the substrate.
In various examples, forming the via array on the substrate can be performed before pressing the first ring on the first surface of the substrate and before pressing the second ring on the second surface of the substrate.
In various examples, the method can include pressing a first gasket on the first ring and pressing a second gasket on the second ring. The first gasket can include at least one of Cu, Al, or Au, and the second gasket can include at least one of Cu, Al, or Au.
In various examples, the substrate can include aluminum nitride (AlN) or alumina (Al2O3). In various examples, a thickness of the substrate can be at least 120 mils.
The above summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the present disclosure in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the present disclosure encompasses many potential embodiments in addition to those here summarized, some of which will be further described below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
Having thus described certain example embodiments of the present disclosure in general terms above, non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the subject disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. The components illustrated in the figures may or may not be present in certain embodiments described herein. Some embodiments may include fewer (or more) components than those shown in the figures.
One or more embodiments are now more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout and in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments. It is evident, however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. It should be understood that some, but not all embodiments are shown and described herein. Indeed, the embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and accordingly this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements.
As used herein, the term “exemplary” means serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. In addition, while a particular feature may be disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes” and “including” and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”
As used herein, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
As used herein, the term “fluid” may be a gas or a liquid. The term “fluid communication” means that a fluid is capable of making the connection between the areas specified. As used herein, the terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the direction to which the fluid flows.
As used herein, the term “electrical communication” means that an electric current and/or electric signals are capable of making the connection between the areas specified.
As used herein, the terms “coupled,” “fixed,” “attached to,” and the like refer to both direct coupling, fixing, or attaching, as well as indirect coupling, fixing, or attaching through one or more intermediate components or features, unless otherwise specified herein.
As used herein, the term “positioned directly on” refers to a first component being positioned on a second component such that they make contact. Similarly, as used herein, the term “positioned directly between” refers to a first component being positioned between a second component and a third component such that the first component makes contact with both the second component and the third component. In contrast, a first component that is “positioned between” a second component and a third component may or may not have contact with the second component and the third component. Additionally, a first component that is “positioned between” a second component and a third component is positioned such that there may be other intervening components between the second component and the third component other than the first component.
Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, the UHV assembly 100 includes a plate 200, an enclosure 400, and a UHV seal assembly 300 that is positioned between the plate 200 and the enclosure 400. The UHV enclosure 400 defines a longitudinal axis L of the UHV assembly 100. The UHV assembly has a first end 101 and a second end 102. In various embodiments, the first end 101 and the second end 102 of the UHV assembly 100 are disposed opposite one another with respect to the longitudinal axis L.
The plate 200, the UHV seal assembly 300, and the enclosure 400 can be coupled together with a plurality of bolts 600. The plate 200 can be ring shaped and can encircle the longitudinal axis L. The enclosure 400 can be shaped as a hollow cylinder and can encircle the longitudinal axis L. For example, in an example embodiment, the longitudinal axis of the hollow cylinder of the enclosure 400 defines the longitudinal axis L of the UHV assembly 100. In various embodiments, the cross-section of the enclosure 400 in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L is a circle, ellipse, polygon, or other regular or irregular shape.
Referring now to
Referring still to
In various examples, the plate 200 can include a groove (not shown) and the enclosure 400 can include a groove 430. The first ring 320a, or the first ring 320a and the first gasket 340a, can be positioned within the groove of the plate 200 such that the first ring 320a is flush with an inward facing surface of the plate 200. Similarly, the second ring 320b, or the second ring 320b and the second gasket 340b, can be positioned within the groove 430 of the enclosure 400 such that the second ring 320b is flush with an inward facing surface of the enclosure 400. As used in this context, the term “inward facing surface” refers to a surface that faces in a direction towards the circuit board 330 along the longitudinal direction L. In contrast, the term “outward facing surface” refers to a surface that faces in a direction away from the circuit board 330 along the longitudinal direction L.
When the first ring 320a, or the first ring 320a and the first gasket 340a, are positioned within the groove of the plate 200 such that the first ring 320a is flush with the inward facing surface of the plate 200, the plate 200 makes contact with the circuit board 330 when the UHV assembly is assembled. Similarly, when the second ring 320b, or the second ring 320b and the second gasket 340b, are positioned within the groove 430 of the enclosure 400 such that the second ring 320b is flush with the inward facing surface of the enclosure 400, the enclosure 400 makes contact with the circuit board 330 when the UHV assembly is assembled. Positioning the plate 200 and the enclosure 400 such that they make contact with the circuit board 330 may increase the amount of sealing provided by the UHV seal assembly 300.
As discussed, the plate 200, the UHV seal assembly 300, and the enclosure 400 can be coupled together with the plurality of bolts 600 (only one bolt 600 shown in the
As discussed, the enclosure 400 can be shaped as a hollow cylinder. The hollow cylinder shape of the enclosure 400 can define a chamber 450. The UHV assembly 100 can include, or can be associated with, a vacuum pump (not shown). The vacuum pump can be in fluid communication with the chamber 450 of the enclosure 400 and can be configured to generate at least a partial vacuum within the chamber 450 of the enclosure 400. In various examples, the vacuum pump is positioned downstream from the chamber 450 of the enclosure 400 such that any fluids, such as air, that are within the chamber 450 of the enclosure may flow from the chamber 450 towards the vacuum pump. In effect, the vacuum pump may remove, at least partially, such as at least mostly, any fluids that are within the chamber 450 of the enclosure. In some examples, the vacuum pump is configured to generate an ultra-high vacuum, such as pressures lower than 100 nanopascals (nPa) (approximately 7.5×10−10 Torr).
Referring now to
In various examples, the via array 333, or the via array 333 and the electrical connections, may create an electrical pathway between the chamber 450 of the enclosure 400 (
Including a via array 333 on the circuit board 330 has various benefits. For example, the via array 333 may allow for high density transmission of the electrical signals. More specifically, the via array 333 may allow for a transmission of 50 signals or more per square inch, such as one hundred signals or more per square inch, such as two hundred signals or more per square inch. In contrast, traditional methods, such as pin-type feedthrough methods, may not allow for the transmission of 50 signals or more per square inch. Additionally, traditional methods, such as pin-type feedthrough methods, may be bulkier than the solutions that are structured in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Referring briefly back to
Referring again to
As discussed, the UHV seal assembly 300 can be configured to provide a hermetic seal between the out-of-vacuum portion 130 of the UHV assembly 100 and the in-vacuum portion 150 of the UHV assembly 100. Because, in various examples, the in-vacuum portion 150 of the UHV assembly 100 may experience the ultra-high vacuum, such as pressure lower than 100 nPa, it may be beneficial for the thickness T of the circuit board 330 to be greater than a certain thickness, such as at least 120 mils and up to 500 mils, such as at least 150 mils and up to 300 mils, such as at least 180 mils and up to 200 mils, such as 190 mils. This certain thickness may be able to structurally withstand the ultra-high vacuum. Additionally, because, in various examples, the in-vacuum portion 150 of the UHV assembly 100 may experience the ultra-high vacuum, it may be beneficial for the substrate 335 of the circuit board 330 to be manufactured from, or to include, certain materials that can allow the circuit board 330 to structurally withstand the ultra-high vacuum. For example, it may be beneficial to manufacture the substrate 335 of the circuit board 330 from a ceramic, such as AlN, Al2O3, or mixtures thereof, to withstand the ultra-high vacuum.
Also, because the UHV seal assembly 300 can be configured to provide the hermetic seal between the out-of-vacuum portion 130 of the UHV assembly 100 and the in-vacuum portion 150 of the UHV assembly 100, it may be beneficial to manufacture the first gasket 340a and the second gasket 340b, when included, from a relatively soft metal, such as Cu, Al, Au, or mixtures thereof, to increase the amount of sealing between components of the UHV assembly 100, such as between the plate 200 and the first ring 320a and between the enclosure 400 and the second ring 320b. As will be appreciated, softer materials provide for better sealing than harder materials. Therefore, the relatively soft metals (e.g., a hardness that is less than or equal to 4 on the Mohs hardness scale) may provide better sealing capabilities than hard metals (e.g., a hardness that is greater than 4 on the Mohs hardness scale), such as Titanium (Ti) or Tungsten (W). Similarly, it may be beneficial to manufacture the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b such that they include indium (In), which is a relatively soft metal, to provide for sufficient sealing between components of the UHV assembly 100, such as between the circuit board 330 and the first gasket 340a and between the circuit board 330 and the second gasket 340b. In various examples, the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b include, or are manufactured from, indium oxide (In2O3).
Including the UHV seal assembly 300 in the UHV assembly 100 has various benefits. For example, as discussed, the UHV seal assembly 300 can provide a hermetic seal between the in-vacuum portion 150 of the UHV assembly 100 and the out-of-vacuum portion 130 of the UHV assembly 100. Additionally, and as also discussed, the UHV seal assembly 300 can allow for electrical signals to transmit from the out-of-vacuum portion 130 of the UHV assembly 100 to the in-vacuum portion 150 of the UHV assembly 100, and vice versus.
Referring now to
The method 500 can include a step of 530 of preparing at least a portion of a first ring 320a and at least a portion of a second ring 320b with an acid. For example, the surfaces of the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b that are to face and make contact with the circuit board 330, or the substrate 335 of the circuit board 330, can be prepared with the acid. In various examples, the acid is hydrochloric acid (HCl). Preparing the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b with the acid, such as HCl, may remove, or strip, the oxidation from the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b. In the various examples where the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b are In2O3 and the acid is HCl, the HCl may remove the oxidization from the In2O3, which may form pure indium at least in the portions of the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b that are prepared with the HCl (e.g., the prepared surfaces of the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b). As will be appreciated, the pure indium may surface bond to ceramics. More specifically, and as will be appreciated, pure indium may bond to ceramics with a cold-welding process. In various examples, the pure indium may surface bond to the substrate 335 when it includes, or is, AlN and/or Al2O3, which are ceramics. More specifically, the cold-welding process may be used to bond the pure indium portions of the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b to the substrate 335 when they include, or are, a ceramic, such as AlN or Al2O3, in various examples.
The method 500 can include a step 550 of pressing the first ring 320a on the first surface 331a of the substrate 335 and pressing the second ring 320b on the second surface 331b of the substrate 335. In various examples, the amount of pressing force in step 550 is at least 100 pounds per square inch (psi). Step 550 can also include applying an adhesive, such as an epoxy, to the first ring 320a, the second ring 320b, the first surface 331a of the substrate 335, and/or the second surface 331b of the substrate. However, using the described surface bonding process, such as the cold-welding process, may allow the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b to be bonded to the substrate 335 without the use of an adhesive. Bonding the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b to the substrate 335 without the use of adhesive has various benefits. For example, bonding the first ring 320a and the second ring 320b to the substrate 335 without the use of adhesive may allow for the UHV assembly 100 to be disassembled and the components (e.g., the circuit board 330, the first ring 320a, the second ring 320b, the first gasket 340a, and/or the second gasket 340b) to be reused.
Method 500 of manufacturing the UHV seal assembly 300 may also include positioning and/or pressing the first gasket 340a onto the first ring 320a and positioning and/or pressing the second gasket 340b onto the second ring 320b. In various examples, an adhesive, such as an epoxy, can be used to bond the first gasket 340a to the first ring 320a and the second gasket 340b to the second ring 320b. However, in other examples, an adhesive is not used.
The above descriptions of various embodiments of the subject disclosure and corresponding figures and what is described in the Abstract, are described herein for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It is to be understood that one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that other embodiments having modifications, permutations, combinations, and additions can be implemented for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions of the disclosed subject matter, and are therefore considered within the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/479,407, filed Jan. 11, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63479407 | Jan 2023 | US |
