Experimental investigation of transparent silicon carbide for atom chips

We investigate some properties of an atom chip made of a gold microcircuit deposited on a transparent silicon carbide substrate. A favorable thermal behavior is observed in the presence of electrical current, twice as good as a silicon counterpart. We obtain one hundred million rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical trap with several of the beams passing through the chip. We point out the importance of coating of the chip against reflection to avoid a temperature-dependent Fabry-Perot effect. We finally discuss detection through the chip, potentially granting large numerical apertures, as well as some other potential applications.