Atomic vapor cells for chip-scale atomic clocks with improved long-term frequency stability

Published

September 15, 2005

Author(s)

Svenja A. Knappe, Vladislav Gerginov, P Schwindt, V Shah, Leo W. Hollberg, John E. Kitching, Hugh Robinson

Abstract

A novel technique for microfabricating alkali atom vapor cells is described, in which alkali atoms are evaporated into a micromachined cell cavity through a glass nozzle. A cell of interior volume 1 mm³, containing ⁸⁷Rb and a buffer gas, was made in this way and was integrated into an atomic clock based on coherent population trapping. A fractional frequency instability of 6 10^-12 at 1000 seconds of integration was measured. The long-term drift of the F=1, m_F = 0 ? F=2, m_F = 0 hyperfine frequency of atoms in these cells is below 5 10^-11/ day.

Citation

Optics Letters

Volume

30

Issue

18

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

atomic clocks, coherent population trapping, microfabrication

Citation

Knappe, S. , Gerginov, V. , Schwindt, P. , Shah, V. , Hollberg, L. , Kitching, J. and Robinson, H. (2005), Atomic vapor cells for chip-scale atomic clocks with improved long-term frequency stability, Optics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=50102 (Accessed October 20, 2025)