A single-ion trap with minimized ion-environment interactions

We present a new single-ion endcap trap for high-precision spectroscopy that has been designed to minimize ion-environment interactions. We describe the design in detail and then characterize the working trap using a single trapped Yb-171(+) ion. Excess micromotion has been eliminated to the resolution of the detection method, and the trap exhibits an anomalous phonon heating rate of d < n >/dt = 24(-24)(+30)s(-1). The thermal properties of the trap structure have also been measured with an effective temperature rise at the ion's position of Delta T-(ion) = 0.14 +/- 0.14 K. The small perturbations to the ion caused by this trap make it suitable to be used for an optical frequency standard with fractional uncertainties below the 10(-18) level.