Epson has developed a small, highly stable atomic oscillator, the AO6860LAN, for telecommunications networks and industrial applications. The new AO6860LAN atomic oscillator makes it possible for Epson’s customers to build smaller, more reliable telecommunications infrastructure and test and measurement systems that consume less power. The new product utilizes an original vertical cavity surface-emitting laser and special IC, both designed and manufactured by Epson. These enabled Epson to reduce the cubic dimensions of the atomic oscillator to just 75 cc-or 1/16th the size of Epson’s earlier 1,200 cc atomic oscillator-without sacrificing long-term frequency stability.
The new atomic oscillator consumes just 1/6th the power of the previous Epson model thanks to an optimized control system. Atomic oscillators, which generate accurate frequencies using the characteristic frequency of a particular atom or molecule, can typically provide accuracy that is two or more orders of magnitude greater than that of crystal oscillators. For this reason, atomic oscillators are used primarily in high-speed communications equipment and high-accuracy test and measurement equipment.
