APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF FREQUENCY GENERATION USING AN ATOMIC RESONATOR

• US 20150358026A1
• Filed: 01/09/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lahav Gan
• Original Assignee: Lahav Gan
• Inventors: Gan, Lahav
• Granted Patent: US 9,360,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 5/14 using atomic clocks
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 5/145 using Coherent Population Trapping
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 17/00 Generation of oscillations using radiation source and detector, e.g. with interposed variable obturator
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/08 Details of the phase-locked loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/26 using energy levels of molecules, atoms, or subatomic particles as a frequency reference

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of generating a frequency reference using a solid-state atomic resonator formed by a solid-state material including an optical cavity having color centers. A device may include a solid-state atomic clock to generate a clock frequency signal, the solid-state atomic clock including a solid state atomic resonator formed by a solid-state material including an optical cavity having color centers, which are capable of exhibiting hyperfine transition, wherein the solid-state atomic clock may generate the clock frequency signal based on a hyperfine resonance frequency of the color centers. The device may also include a compensator to compensate for a change in one or more attributes of the solid state atomic resonator, which are to affect the hyperfine resonance frequency of the color centers.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a solid-state atomic clock to generate a clock frequency signal, the solid-state atomic clock comprising;

a solid state atomic resonator comprising a solid-state material comprising an optical cavity having color centers, which are capable of exhibiting hyperfine transition, wherein the solid-state atomic clock is configured to generate the clock frequency signal based on a hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers; and

a compensator configured to compensate for a change in one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator, which are to affect said hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said compensator comprises:

at least one sensor to sense said one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator; and

a frequency adjuster configured to cause an adjustment of said clock frequency signal based on the one or more sensed attributes of said solid state atomic resonator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the solid-state atomic clock comprises a solid-state atomic resonator module comprising the solid state atomic resonator,

wherein the solid-state atomic resonator module is configured to receive an input frequency signal, which is based on said clock frequency signal,

and wherein said compensator is to compensate for the change in said One or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator by adjusting said input frequency signal to said solid-state atomic resonator module based on the one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the solid-state atomic clock comprises a solid-state atomic resonator module comprising the solid state atomic resonator,

wherein the solid-state atomic resonator module is configured to receive an input frequency signal, which is based on said clock frequency signal,

and wherein the solid-state atomic resonator module is configured to generate an error frequency signal proportional to a difference between the input frequency signal and the hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the solid-state atomic clock comprises:

a feedback circuit configured to generate an error-correction signal based on the error frequency signal provided by said solid-state atomic resonator module;

a controlled oscillator configured to generate said clock frequency signal based on said error-correction signal; and

a frequency multiplier configured to generate said input frequency signal to said solid-state atomic resonator module by multiplying a frequency of said clock frequency signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said compensator is configured to compensate for the change in said one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator by causing said frequency multiplier to adjust said input frequency signal to said solid-state atomic resonator module based on the one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said compensator is configured to synchronize frequencies between an adjustment of a multiplication factor of said frequency multiplier and said controlled oscillator.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the solid-state atomic resonator module comprises a light source configured to generate light to illuminate said solid-state atomic resonator, and a photo detector configured to generate the error frequency signal based on detected photo-luminescence of said color centers.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more attributes comprise at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of a temperature of said solid state atomic resonator, a pressure on said solid state atomic resonator, an acceleration of said solid state atomic resonator, and a vibration of said solid state atomic resonator.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said solid-state material comprises diamond, and wherein the color centers comprise Nitrogen-Vacancy color centers in said diamond.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said solid-state material comprises:

at least one diamond crystal embedded by Nitrogen-Vacancy color centers.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one diamond crystal comprises

a plurality of nano-crystals.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical cavity is formed by a plurality of Bragg reflectors.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical cavity is firmed by a photonic crystal structure.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising an integrated circuit including comprising said solid-state atomic clock.

16. A method of obtaining a frequency reference, the method comprising:

causing color centers of a solid state atomic resonator to exhibit hyperfine transition, said solid state atomic resonator comprising a solid-state material comprising an optical cavity having said color centers;

compensating for a change in one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator, which are to affect said hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers; and

generating a clock frequency signal based on the hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said compensating comprises:

sensing said one or more sensed attributes of said solid state atomic resonator; and

adjusting said clock frequency signal based on the one or more sensed attributes of said solid state atomic resonator.

18. The method of claim 16 comprising:

determining an error frequency based on the clock frequency signal and the hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers; and

adjusting said clock frequency signal based on said error frequency.

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. A system comprising:

at least one electronic device comprising;

a solid-state atomic clock to generate a clock frequency signal, the solid-state atomic clock comprising;

a solid state atomic resonator comprising a solid-state material comprising an optical cavity having color centers, which are capable of exhibiting, hyperfine transition;

wherein the solid-state atomic clock is configured to generate the clock frequency signal based on a hyperfine, resonance frequency of said color centers; and

a compensator configured to compensate for a change in one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator, which are to affect said hyperfine resonance frequency of said color centers; and

at least one electronic module to receive said clock frequency signal and perform an operation based on the clock frequency signal.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said compensator comprises:

at least one sensor to sense said one or more attributes of said solid state atomic resonator; and

a frequency adjuster to cause an adjustment of said clock frequency signal based on the one or more sensed attributes of said solid state atomic resonator.

28. (canceled)