Csem Centre Suisse D'electronique Et De Microtechnique Sa&#x2014;recherche Et D&#xe9;veloppement

Csem Centre Suisse D'electronique Et De Microtechnique Sa - Recherche Et Developpment

Thomas Overstolz

Jacques Haesler

Jean Gobet

Fabien Droz-dit-Busset

Vladislav Spassov

In the present invention an alkali vapor cell is proposed comprising a sealed chamber enclosing an alkali atomic gas therein and having at least one optically transparent window. The chamber and the transparent window define an optical beam path through which a light beam can pass and which interacts with the alkali atomic gas in the chamber. The alkali vapor cell comprises at least one localized condensation area of alkali atoms at a predetermined location in the sealed chamber and the predetermined location is located inside or outside the optical beam path. The localized condensation area has higher alkali metal wettability than any other surface portion of the alkali vapor cell outside said localized condensation area.

Alkali vapor cell

The invention concerns a micro-machined vapor cell comprising a central silicon element forming a cavity containing vapor cell reactants such as alkali metal or alkali metal azide, buffer gas(es), and/or anti relaxation coating(s); a first and a second glass caps sealing the cavity; and a solenoid arranged to provide a homogeneous magnetic field to said vapor cell. The solenoid is coiled directly on the central silicon element of the vapor cell. This invention is an improvement for the highly miniaturized atomic clocks developments.

Micro-machined vapor cell

The present invention relates to a method for producing a microfabricated atomic vapor cell, including a step of forming at least one cavity in a substrate and closing the cavity at one side. The method further includes: &#x2014;a step of depositing a solution including an alkali metal azide dissolved in at least one of its solvents, &#x2014;a step of evaporating such solvent for forming a recrystallized alkali metal azide, &#x2014;a step of decomposing the recrystallized alkali metal azide in an alkali metal and nitrogen, such alkali metal depositing in the cavity of the substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Saint-Blaise, Switzerland

Thomas Overstolz