CHIP-SCALE ATOMIC CLOCK WITH TWO THERMAL ZONES

• US 20110187466A1
• Filed: 09/27/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Salit, Mary K., Ridley, Jeff A., Lu, Son T., Youngner, Daniel W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,067,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 331/94.1
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 5/145 using Coherent Population Trapping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02 Structural details or components not essential to laser action
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02208 characterised by the shape of the housings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02257 using windows, e.g. specially adapted for back-reflecting light to a detector inside the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02453 Heating, e.g. the laser is heated for stabilisation against temperature fluctuations of the environment H01S5/0612 takes precedence, for monolithically integrated heaters see also H01S5/0261
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02476 Heat spreaders, i.e. improving heat flow between laser chip and heat dissipating elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]

Abstract

A chip-scale atomic clock comprises a physics package and a laser die located in a first thermal zone of the physics package. A quarter wave plate is mounted in the physics package and is in optical communication with the laser die. A vapor cell is mounted in the physics package and is in optical communication with the quarter wave plate. The vapor cell is located in a second thermal zone that is independent from the first thermal zone. An optical detector is mounted in the physics package and is in optical communication with the vapor cell. The first thermal zone provides a first operation temperature at a first stability point associated with the laser die, and the second thermal zone provides a second operation temperature at a second stability point associated with the vapor cell.

Claims

1. A chip-scale atomic clock, comprising:

a physics package;

a laser die located in a first thermal zone of the physics package;

a quarter wave plate mounted in the physics package and in optical communication with the laser die;

a vapor cell mounted in the physics package and in optical communication with the quarter wave plate, the vapor cell located in a second thermal zone that is independent from the first thermal zone; and

an optical detector mounted in the physics package and in optical communication with the vapor cell;

wherein the first thermal zone provides a first operation temperature at a first stability point associated with the laser die, and the second thermal zone provides a second operation temperature at a second stability point associated with the vapor cell.

2. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, wherein the laser die comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser.

3. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, wherein the laser die is mounted on a heater die in the physics package.

4. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 3, further comprising a phototransistor mounted on the heater die.

5. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 3, further comprising a Wheatstone bridge temperature sensor in the heater die.

6. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 3, wherein the heater die is mounted on a first scaffold in the physics package or integrated into the first scaffold in the physics package.

7. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 3, further comprising an isothermal cage that surrounds the laser die and the heater die, the isothermal cage configured to maintain the first thermal zone at the first operation temperature.

8. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 7, wherein the isothermal cage is temperature stabilized to within about +/−

0.004°

C. as ambient temperature varies from about −

40°

C. to about 65°

C.

9. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, wherein the quarter wave plate includes a neutral density filter.

10. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 6, wherein the quarter wave plate is mounted on a second scaffold that is over the first scaffold in the physics package, and the vapor cell is mounted on a third scaffold that is over the second scaffold in the physics package.

11. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, wherein the vapor cell includes a heater.

12. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 11, further comprising a Wheatstone bridge temperature sensor coupled to the heater of the vapor cell.

13. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, wherein the vapor cell contains rubidium or cesium.

14. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, wherein the optical detector comprises a photodiode mounted to an electronics heater.

15. The chip-scale atomic clock of claim 1, further comprising at least one getter die in the physics package.

16. A chip-scale atomic clock, comprising:

a physics package;

a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) located in a first thermal zone of the physics package, the VCSEL configured to emit a laser beam along an optical path;

an isothermal cage surrounding the VCSEL in the first thermal zone;

a quarter wave plate in optical communication with the VCSEL and mounted in the physics package at a first tilt angle with respect to the optical path;

a rubidium vapor cell in optical communication with the quarter wave plate and mounted in the physics package at a second tilt angle with respect to the optical path, the vapor cell located in a second thermal zone that is independent from the first thermal zone; and

a photodetector in optical communication with the vapor cell and mounted in the physics package at a third tilt angle with respect to the optical path;

wherein the first thermal zone provides a first operation temperature at a first stability point associated with the VCSEL, and the second thermal zone provides a second operation temperature at a second stability point associated with the vapor cell.

17. A process of manufacturing a chip-scale atomic clock, the process comprising:

providing a physics package including an upper device package and a lower device package;

mounting a laser die in the lower device package;

forming an isothermal cage around the laser die, the isothermal cage configured to create a first thermal zone in the physics package that provides a first operation temperature at a first stability point associated with the laser die;

mounting a quarter wave plate over the laser die at a first tilt angle so that the quarter wave plate is in optical communication with the laser die;

mounting a vapor cell over the quarter wave plate at a second tilt angle so that the vapor cell is in optical communication with the quarter wave plate and located in a second thermal zone that is independent from the first thermal zone, the second thermal zone providing a second operation temperature at a second stability point associated with the vapor cell; and

mounting an optical detector in the upper device package at a third tilt angle so that the optical detector is in optical communication with the vapor cell when the upper device package and lower device package are vacuumed sealed together.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising setting the operation temperature of the laser die such that a ratio of change in frequency of the chip-scale atomic clock to a change in temperature of the laser die is zero.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising setting the operation temperature of the laser die such that a ratio of change in frequency of the chip-scale atomic clock to a change in the radio frequency power of the laser die is zero.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising setting the operation temperature of the vapor cell such that a ratio of change in frequency of the chip-scale atomic clock to a change in temperature of the vapor cell is zero.