3D printed microwave cavity for atomic clock applications: proof of concept

M Pellaton,T Debogovic,G Mileti,A.E Ivanov,E Rijk,A.K Skrivervik,C Affolderbach

doi:10.1049/el.2017.4176

M Pellaton, T Debogovic + Show 5 more

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The authors present the realisation and characterisation of an additively manufactured (AM) microwave resonator cavity for double-resonance (DR) vapour-cell atomic clocks. The design of the compact microwave cavity is based on the loop-gap resonator approach, previously demonstrated for conventionally-machined aluminium components. In the present study, the resonator is fabricated by AM using a metal-coated polymer. A resonance frequency at the desired 6.835 GHz rubidium atomic frequency is obtained. When employed in an atomic clock setup, the AM cavity enables a DR signal of <500 Hz linewidth and of nearly 20% contrast, thus fulfilling the stringent requirements for DR atomic clocks. A clock short-term stability of 1 × 10−12 τ −1/2 is demonstrated, comparable to state-of-the-art clock performances.

Highlights

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies [1], such as selective laser melting, stereolithography (SLA) or 3D printing, have revolutionised the fabrication approach for a multitude of applications, enabling the realisation of complex components hardly achievable using standard machining techniques
In the field of microwave components and antennas, AM has already proven its efficiency for components such as waveguides or antennas [2, 3], and basic cylindrical cryogenic microwave cavities manufactured by selective laser melting of aluminium have been demonstrated [4]
State-of-the-art short-term clock stabilities at the level of 1.4 × 10−13τ−1/2 have been demonstrated from a 1 dm3 physics package, using a magnetron-type microwave cavity, realised by classical bulk machining of aluminium, and employing a laser instead of a discharge lamp for the optical pumping and detection [6, 7]

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Introduction

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies [1], such as selective laser melting, stereolithography (SLA) or 3D printing, have revolutionised the fabrication approach for a multitude of applications, enabling the realisation of complex components hardly achievable using standard machining techniques. The heart of CW-DR atomic clocks consists of a Rb vapour-cell and microwave-resonator assembly, which serves as an extremely stable frequency discriminator for stabilising the frequency of a quartz oscillator.

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