Microfabricated ion frequency standard
| DWPI Title: Microfabricated ion frequency standard has photodetector, which generates electrical output signal upon sensing fluorescent light, and provides electrical output signal in feedback loop to tune frequency of microwave source |
| Abstract: A microfabricated ion frequency standard (i.e. an ion clock) is disclosed with a permanently-sealed vacuum package containing a source of ytterbium (Yb) ions and an octupole ion trap. The source of Yb ions is a micro-hotplate which generates Yb atoms which are then ionized by a ultraviolet light-emitting diode or a field-emission electron source. The octupole ion trap, which confines the Yb ions, is formed from suspended electrodes on a number of stacked-up substrates. A microwave source excites a ground-state transition frequency of the Yb ions, with a frequency-doubled vertical-external-cavity laser (VECSEL) then exciting the Yb ions up to an excited state to produce fluorescent light which is used to tune the microwave source to the ground-state transition frequency, with the microwave source providing a precise frequency output for the ion clock. |
| Use: Microfabricated ion frequency standard. |
| Advantage: The housing is evacuated and back-filled with a buffer gas at a reduced pressure. Provides a non-evaporable getter in the housing to maintain a high purity atmosphere. The nonevaporable getter provides a relatively high pumping speed for atmospheric constituents. |
| Novelty: The microfabricated ion frequency standard (10) comprises a frequency-doubled vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (42), which irradiate ytterbium ions (22) in the ground-state upper hyperfine level to excite the ytterbium ions into an excited-state level. The ytterbium ions in the excited-state level decay with the emission of fluorescent light. A photodetector generates an electrical output signal upon sensing fluorescent light. The electrical output signal is provided in a feedback loop to tune the frequency of a microwave source (32) to the ground-state transition frequency. |
| Filed: 4/28/2009 |
| Application Number: US2009431564A |
| Tech ID: SD 11262.0 |
| 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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