Compact ion microwave atomic clock
| DWPI Title: Compact and highly integrated miniature trapped ion atomic clock for employing optical or microwave signals for atomic trapping or excitation of barium ions, has fluorescence photodetector for detecting ionic fluorescence, and local oscillator for outputting clock signal and radio frequency signal |
| Abstract: An atomic clock having a highly integrated vacuum package in combination with a highly integrated and efficient electronics package is disclosed. The vacuum package includes trapping RF electrodes for trapping an ion cloud, optics for guiding an excitation laser beam, an emitter for replenishing ions to the ion cloud, a getter for controlling the vacuum level, and a viewport for admitting the excitation laser beam and transmitting ionic fluorescence. This highly integrated vacuum package occupies a volume of less than 1 mL. The highly integrated and efficient optoelectronics package employs an interposer to which a laser, a photodetector, and various control and drive electronics are attached. |
| Use: Compact and highly integrated miniature trapped ion atomic clock for employing optical or microwave signals for atomic trapping or excitation of barium ions. |
| Advantage: The clock realizes reduced sensitivity to temperature, magnetic fields, acceleration and rotation, employs easy and efficiently generated signals, mitigates the high dark count rate to increase fluorescence collection efficiency, illuminates the ion cloud with an excitation laser beam with sufficient power to reduce the measurement gate time without sacrificing signal, maintains functionality and decreases number of viewports in the vacuum package. The clock satisfies aging, thermal stability and vibration stability requirements. |
| Novelty: The atomic clock (100) has a fluorescence photodetector (170A) for detecting ionic fluorescence. A local oscillator (LO) outputs clock signal and radio frequency (RF) signal. A trap drive (175) receives radio frequency (RF) signal and amplifies the RF signal using a transformer. An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implements electrical and control functions required to operate a miniature trapped ion atomic clock main body. An ionizing source ionizes released atoms forming ion cloud (125). An optoelectronics package is mechanically, electrically and optically coupled to a vacuum package (110), where the ionizing source includes one of an UV LED, an UV laser or field emitter array and a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator is made of a piezoelectric material. |
| Filed: 1/15/2025 |
| Application Number: US202519022224A |
| Tech ID: SD 16349.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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