A solid-mounted resonator-oscillator-based 4.596 GHz frequency synthesis

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Physics
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Miniature atomic clocks require stable, low-noise local oscillators.
• Solid-state resonator oscillators offer potential for miniaturization and low power consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a frequency synthesizer for a 4.596 GHz signal using a solid-state resonator oscillator.
• To integrate this synthesizer into a compact cesium vapor atomic clock.

Main Methods:

• A 2.1 GHz solid-state resonator (SMR) voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) was designed and characterized.
• Frequency synthesis techniques were employed to generate the target 4.596 GHz signal.
• The performance of the synthesizer was evaluated, including phase noise and temperature stability.

Main Results:

• The SMR oscillator achieved a chip size < 2 mm², power consumption of 18.2 mW, and phase noise of -89 dBc/Hz at 2 kHz offset.
• The frequency synthesizer produced a 4.596 GHz signal with phase noise of -81 dBc/Hz at 2 kHz offset.
• The VCO exhibited a temperature-frequency dependence of -14 ppm/°C.

Conclusions:

• A novel SMR-oscillator-based frequency synthesizer was successfully developed for miniature atomic clock applications.
• This work represents the first reported frequency synthesizer for miniature atomic clocks utilizing an SMR oscillator.
• The developed synthesizer shows promise for enabling compact and high-performance atomic timing devices.