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Physics Procedia

Production of Miniature Glass Cells with Rubidium for Chip Scale Atomic Clock

S.S. Losev, D. I. Sevostianov, Vitali V. Vassiliev, V.L. Velishansky

Published Jan 1, 2015• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The main advantage of chip scale atomic clock (e.g., Knappe (2008)) (CSAC) over quartz-oscillators is the higher long-term stability. It is provided by non-aging resonance of unperturbed atoms. However it is not a simple task to suppress all possible perturbations. Hence, metrological properties of resonance depend on the way in which ensemble of atoms is localized in space and protected. The paper describes a technology of small all-glass Rb cells production. The sealing of cells is made with radiation of a СО 2 lasers. The cells will be utilized in Rb CSAC based on the phenomenon of coherent population trapping (CPT). (Pat. No RU 2014101361)

DOI
10.1016/j.phpro.2015.08.357

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The main advantage of chip scale atomic clock (e.g., Knappe (2008)) (CSAC) over quartz-oscillators is the higher long-term stability. It is provided by non-aging resonance of unperturbed atoms. However it is not a simple task to suppress all possible perturbations. Hence, metrological properties of resonance depend on the way in which ensemble of atoms is localized in space and protected. The paper describes a technology of small all-glass Rb cells production. The sealing of cells is made with radiation of a СО 2 lasers. The cells will be utilized in Rb CSAC based on the phenomenon of coherent population trapping (CPT). (Pat. No RU 2014101361)
Nowadays, the portable atomic clocks with small size and low power consumption have attracted much attention. With the development of the coherent population trapping (CPT) and the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies, it is possible to fabricate the miniature atomic clocks with power consumption less than 100mW. Researchers have already made great progress in the miniaturization of VCSELs, RF circuits, and photodiodes, which are the key technologies of the chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC). However, the fabrication of micro alkali atomic vapor cells is still to be improved. In this article, we describe the fabrication of micro Rb atomic vapor cells with inner dimensions of 3 mm length and 3 mm radius using anodic bonding and chemical reaction between BaN6and RbCl. The optical absorption and CPT resonances of the cells were measured slightly above the room temperature. In this condition, the consumption in the temperature control will be very low. Moreover, the long life (more than four years) of the cells makes it possible to use them in CSACs.
We describe the microfabrication of 85 Rb vapour cells using a glass-silicon anodic bonding technique and in situ chemical reaction between rubidium chloride and barium azide to produce Rb. Under controlled conditions, the pure metallic Rb drops and buffer gases were obtained in the cells with a few mm 3 internal volumes during the cell sealing process. At an ambient temperature of 90 °C the optical absorption resonance of 85 Rb D1 transition with proper broadening and the corresponding coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance, with a signal contrast of 1.5% and linewidth of about 1.7 kHz, have been detected. The sealing quality and the stability of the cells have also been demonstrated experimentally by using the helium leaking detection and the after-9-month optoelectronics measurement which shows a similar CPT signal as its original status. In addition, the physics package of chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) based on the cell was realized. The measured frequency stability of the physics package can reach to 2.1 × 10 −10 at one second when the cell was heated to 100 °C which proved that the cell has the quality to be used in portable and battery-operated devices.
Research on chip-scale atomic clocks (CSACs) based on coherent population trapping (CPT) is reviewed. The background and the inspiration for the research are described, including the important schemes proposed to improve the CPT signal quality, the selection of atoms and buffer gases, and the development of micro-cell fabrication. With regard to the reliability, stability, and service life of the CSACs, the research regarding the sensitivity of the CPT resonance to temperature and laser power changes is also reviewed, as well as the CPT resonance's collision and light of frequency shifts. The first generation CSACs have already been developed but its characters are still far from our expectations. Our conclusion is that miniaturization and power reduction are the most important aspects calling for further research.
Rb vapor cell with differential detection. Elliptically polarized light is used to interact with alkali atoms to generate coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance, and the CPT signal is obtained by detecting the Faraday rotation effect with differential detection technology. To move closer to an actual chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC), we reduce the volume of the experimental apparatus and use a divergent laser beam to interact with the atoms. We obtain the short-term frequency stability of the CSAC based on the differential detection scheme and compare it with that of a conventional CSAC. The results show that the frequency stability is more than two times better than that of current commercial CSAC devices with the same power consumption and volume.
To Obtain an appropriate coherent population trapping (CPT) signal through a miniature atomic vapor cell is one of the key steps to implement a chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC). In the present experiment, the high S/N differential CPT spectral line has been achieved with a miniature atomic vapor cell through modulating the laser and extracting 87Rb atom laser interacting signal using the phase sensitive demodulation technique. With the spectral line, the dependence of CPT signal on the working parameters and the dependence of frequency stability of CSAC on the quality of the CPT signal have been studied; the obtained experimental results agree well with the theoretical prediction, which can be used as the recommended working parameters for CSAC. The methods exploited in the experiment can be implemented in the resource of a CSAC, therefore this experiment explores for CSAC the practical approaches of performance optimization.
This paper reports the design, fabrication and evaluation of a reflection-type Rb vapor cell with a Glass/Si/Glass structure for chip-scale micro atomic clocks. To miniaturize the cell and obtain a Rb resonance signal with a high sensitivity, long laser light traveling pass on the horizontal plane is required in the vapor cell. The horizontal Rb vapor cell with integrated mirrors are proposed and developed. A (100)-oriented Si wafer with cut off 9.74° toward [011] direction was used to make 45° mirrors by using anisotropic wet etching. Also, 90° mirrors were fabricated by Si deep RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) and H2annealing. Absorption line of Rb was confirmed and CPT (Coherent Population Trapping) resonance was demonstrated in the fabricated devices.