Chip-Scale Atomic Frequency References

John Kitching, Svenja Knappe, Li-Anne Liew, Peter D. D. Schwindt, Vladislav Gerginov, Vishal Shah, John Moreland, Alan Brannon, Jason Breitbarth, Zoya Popovic and Leo Hollberg

Abstract:	We describe recent efforts at NIST to develop chip-scale atomic frequency references based on microfabrication techniques commonly used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). These frequency references are projected to have a volume of 1 cm3, a power dissipation of 30 mW and a fractional frequency instability of 10-11 at one hour of integration. To date, we have demonstrated the three critical subsystems of a frequency reference of this type with a total volume below 10 cm3, a total power dissipation below 200 mW, and a fractional frequency instability below 6x10-10/쳌ãô. The physics package is fabricated and assembled using MEMS processing techniques, which allow unprecedented reductions in the size and power of this subsystem. The local oscillator (LO) subsystem, which is locked to the physics package resonance, is based on a micro-coaxial resonator. It has a footprint of 0.5 cm3, runs on as little as 2 mW of DC electrical power, and can be locked to the physics package with a frequency instability below 2×10-10/쳌ãô. Finally, compact control electronics currently based on an analog demodulator chip, but likely to be replaced by a microprocessor, lock the LO to the physics package.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2005) September 13 - 16, 2005 Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach, CA
Pages:	1662 - 1669
Cite this article:	Kitching, John, Knappe, Svenja, Liew, Li-Anne, Schwindt, Peter D. D., Gerginov, Vladislav, Shah, Vishal, Moreland, John, Brannon, Alan, Breitbarth, Jason, Popovic, Zoya, Hollberg, Leo, "Chip-Scale Atomic Frequency References," Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2005), Long Beach, CA, September 2005, pp. 1662-1669.
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