Chip scale atomic magnetometer based on SERF

We are developing a new detection scheme for magnetometers based on atomic vapor confined in millimeter-scale micromachined enclosures and atomic Zeeman transitions. By adding three micro-reflective mirrors and modifying the light path arrangement, the new detection scheme effectively hurdles the main obstacle which prevents SERF from being applied in chip scale sensors, i.e. the difficulty to implement the transverse laser fields using MEMS fabrication methods. Instead of guiding the pumping laser beam parallel to the wafer plates that is not compatible with MEMS fabrication, such scheme rotates both pumping and probing laser beams, and maintains the orthogonal relationship between them. Finally, several fabrication process suited for this scheme are discussed.