Low-Noise Millimeter-Wave Down-Conversion Technology for Chip-Scaled Optical Clocks

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Optical Physics
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Chip-scaled optical clocks require precise frequency conversion of high-frequency millimeter-wave (MM-wave) signals.
• Existing systems often struggle with phase noise and frequency stability at these demanding levels.
• Advancements in MM-wave technology are crucial for next-generation timing and metrology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel MM-wave signal down-conversion system.
• To achieve ultra-low phase noise performance for chip-scaled optical clock applications.
• To validate the system's suitability for state-of-the-art optical clock and micro-cavity optical comb integration.

Main Methods:

• Employed analog regenerative frequency division.
• Utilized low-noise fractional frequency division techniques.
• Implemented phase-locked frequency division for signal down-conversion from 100 GHz to 100 MHz and 10 MHz.

Main Results:

• Achieved phase noise levels of -117 dBc/Hz @100 Hz and -133 dBc/Hz @1 kHz for the 100 MHz output.
• Recorded phase noise of -124 dBc/Hz @100 Hz and -143 dBc/Hz @1 kHz for the 10 MHz output.
• Demonstrated excellent frequency stability, reaching the 10^-16 level at 10,000 seconds for both output frequencies.

Conclusions:

• The developed MM-wave down-conversion system successfully meets stringent phase noise and frequency stability requirements.
• The system is well-suited for integration with advanced chip-based optical clocks and micro-cavity optical combs.
• This work represents a significant step towards realizing high-performance, compact optical timing solutions.