Atomic clocks represent the most advanced instruments for providing time-frequency standards,with increasing demand for designs that offer high frequency stability while minimizing size.Central to an atomic clock'...Atomic clocks represent the most advanced instruments for providing time-frequency standards,with increasing demand for designs that offer high frequency stability while minimizing size.Central to an atomic clock's function is the atomic vapor cell,which serves as the quantum reference.Compared to traditional cells,wafer-level micro-electro-mechanical systems(MEMS)vapor cells enable cost-effective,scalable production and facilitate integration with silicon-based chips.In this work,we present a wafer-level MEMS vapor cell featuring an innovative silicon-glass-silicon transverse optical path structure.A single wafer is used to fabricate 24 identical atomic vapor cells,each with precise dimensions of 14 mm×14 mm×4.3 mm,ensuring scalability.We demonstrate an optical frequency standard that combines modulation transfer spectroscopy(MTS)with a MEMS vapor cell,featuring a compact design with excellent performance.This frequency standard achieves stability over averaging times of 1–400 s,with short-term stability of 2.6×10^(-13)at 1 s and 5.1×10^(-14)at 200 s.The laser linewidth is only 3.9 kHz,marking a substantial improvement over existing thermal standards,and opening potential applications in navigation,radar,and precision measurement.This work provides a crucial step toward the development of chip-scale optical clocks.展开更多
基金Beijing Nova Program(20240484696)INNOVATION Program for Quantum Science and Technology(2021ZD0303202)+1 种基金Wenzhou Major Science and Technology Innovation Key Project(ZG2020046)National Natural Science Foundation of China(62401019)。
文摘Atomic clocks represent the most advanced instruments for providing time-frequency standards,with increasing demand for designs that offer high frequency stability while minimizing size.Central to an atomic clock's function is the atomic vapor cell,which serves as the quantum reference.Compared to traditional cells,wafer-level micro-electro-mechanical systems(MEMS)vapor cells enable cost-effective,scalable production and facilitate integration with silicon-based chips.In this work,we present a wafer-level MEMS vapor cell featuring an innovative silicon-glass-silicon transverse optical path structure.A single wafer is used to fabricate 24 identical atomic vapor cells,each with precise dimensions of 14 mm×14 mm×4.3 mm,ensuring scalability.We demonstrate an optical frequency standard that combines modulation transfer spectroscopy(MTS)with a MEMS vapor cell,featuring a compact design with excellent performance.This frequency standard achieves stability over averaging times of 1–400 s,with short-term stability of 2.6×10^(-13)at 1 s and 5.1×10^(-14)at 200 s.The laser linewidth is only 3.9 kHz,marking a substantial improvement over existing thermal standards,and opening potential applications in navigation,radar,and precision measurement.This work provides a crucial step toward the development of chip-scale optical clocks.
