Next-Generation Chip-Scale Atomic Clocks

Published

October 16, 2023

Author(s)

John Kitching, Matthew Hummon, William McGehee, Ying-Ju Wang, Susan Schima

Abstract

We describe work toward the development of next-generation chip-scale atomic clocks, which combine small size, low power consumption and manufacturability with high frequency stability. The use of optical transitions in microfabricated vapor cells improves both short- and long-term frequency stability to near 10-13 at the cost of the added complexity of a chip-scale optical frequency comb. Chip-scale atomic beam microwave clocks have been successfully demonstrated and offer the potential for microsecond-level timing accuracy over one week. Sr vapor cells have been developed with lifetimes exceeding 250 hours and residual gas pressures below 1 Torr.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the 9th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology

Conference Dates

October 16-20, 2023

Conference Location

Kingscliff, AU

Conference Title

9th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

Atomic clock, chip-scale atomic clock, optical clock, atomic beam clock, microfabrication

Citation

Kitching, J. , Hummon, M. , McGehee, W. , Wang, Y. and Schima, S. (2023), Next-Generation Chip-Scale Atomic Clocks, Proceedings of the 9th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology, Kingscliff, AU, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957364 (Accessed October 6, 2025)