Gallium phosphide as a new material for anodically bonded atomic sensors

Miniaturized atomic sensors are often fabricated using anodic bonding of silicon and borosilicate glass. Here we describe a technique for fabricating anodically bonded alkali-metal cells using GaP and Pyrex. GaP is a non-birefringent semiconductor that is transparent at alkali-metal resonance wavelengths, allowing new sensor geometries. GaP also has a higher thermal conductivity and lower He permeability than borosilicate glass and can be anodically bonded below 200 °C, which can also be advantageous in other vacuum sealing applications.