A Next-Generation, Miniaturized Rb Atomic Clock Reference for Mobile, GNSS-Denied Environments

The Miniature Atomic Clock (MAC) was developed out of the same size and power-reducing technology, known as Coherent Population Trapping (CPT), as the venerable Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC)[1]. By implementing low-power lasers as opposed to traditional lamp designs, this technology allows for unparalleled performance versus power consumption in the commercial oscillator domain. Since its initial release in 2009, the MAC has been well-suited for telecom applications as a holdover reference oscillator in GNSS-denied environments. Now with advances in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) design, signal processing and electronics miniaturization, and by leveraging over 40 years of atomic clock design at Microchip, the next generation MAC is designed to meet a variety of applications with demanding mission scenarios. This paper will discuss improvements to temperature sensitivity and long-term drift, which correlate to longer holdover durations. It will also discuss warm-up characteristics, g-sensitivity and shock and vibration, which are important for mobile applications. Finally, several new features will be introduced including a 1PPS input and output signal.