Terry Dean Stark

A Manufacturable Chip-Scale Atomic Clock

Several factors are converging to enable atomic clocks to be manufactured with very small dimensions and run at low operating power. MOEMS technology, high-speed vcsels, microelectronics, wafer-scale packaging, and the all-optical CPT method of exciting atomic transitions are key ingredients in the quest to make precision time-keeping devices with chip-scale dimensions. In this paper we report on the design and process that enable an atomic clock to be made with a total volume of 1.7 cm3, a total power budget of 57 mWatts, and an Allan Deviation at 1 hour of 5E-12.

Design innovations towards miniaturized GPS-quality clocks

Honeywell is developing a cold atom primary standard with reduced size, weight and power in comparison to existing clocks with similar performance, showing the feasibility of achieving the long-term goal of near-GPS-quality performance in a miniaturized, fieldable package. While the physics of these clocks is well known, unique challenges with miniaturizing the components and subsystems have required new innovative solutions. The challenges, investigated solutions, and results are discussed.