November 1, 2021
      
                  
        
  Author(s)
  John  Kitching,   Gabriela  Martinez,   A,   Gregazzi,   Paul  Griffin,   Aidan  Arnold,   D. P.  Burt,   Rodolphe  Bouldot,   Erling  Riis,   James  McGilligan
 
       
            
    
    
        We demonstrate a simple stacked scheme that enables absorption imaging through a hole in the surface of a grating magneto-optical trap (GMOT) chip, placed immediately below a micro-fabricated vacuum cell. The imaging scheme is capable of overcoming the