Chip-Scale Vapor-Cell Atomic Clocks at NIST

[Ivan Seeking]

The NIST program on chip-scale atomic clocks (CSAC) seeks to design, build and characterize miniature vapor-cell atomic frequency references based on fabrication techniques traditionally used in the field of microelectronics and micro-electric-mechanical systems (MEMS). We are currently building structures such as those shown above, that are the size of a grain of rice (V < 10 mm3) and could run on a AA battery (dissipate < 75 mW). These atomic clocks are stable enough that they neither gain nor lose more than ten millionths of a second over the course of one day and are paving the way for atomic-level timekeeping in portable, battery-operated systems such as global positioning receivers and wireless communications. [continued]
http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/ofm/smallclock/