Quantum interference device, atomic oscillator, electronic apparatus, and moving object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444477-B2
Application number	US-201414573467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

An atomic oscillator includes a gas cell into which alkali metal atoms are sealed, a light emitting portion that emits excitation light including a pair of resonance light beams for resonating the alkali metal atoms toward the alkali metal atoms, a coil that is provided to surround an outer circumference of the gas cell with an axis of the excitation light as an axial direction, and a shield case that stores at least the gas cell and the coil and contains a metal material, in which the shield case is constituted by a plurality of tabular portions, and, among the plurality of tabular portions, a main surface of one of two adjacent tabular portions faces a side surface of the other tabular portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A quantum interference device comprising:
a gas cell into which metal atoms are sealed;
a light emitting portion that emits light including a pair of resonance light beams for resonating the metal atoms toward the metal atoms;
a coil that is provided to surround an outer circumference of the gas cell; and
a shield case that stores the gas cell and the coil and contains a metal material,
wherein the shield case is constituted by a plurality of tabular portions,
in the plurality of tabular portions, at least bottom and first through fourth side surfaces of the shield case are continuously formed as a single contiguous unit, a first bottom length of each of first and second sides of the bottom surface respectively connecting to the first and second side surfaces is shorter than a first side length of each side of the first and second side surfaces respectively connecting to the first and second sides of the bottom surface,
in the single contiguous unit, a second bottom length of each of third and fourth sides of the bottom surface respectively connecting to the third and fourth side surfaces is longer than a second side length of each side of the third and fourth side surfaces respectively connecting to the third and fourth side of the bottom surface, and
other two sides configuring the second side length of each of the third and fourth side surfaces respectively face edges of each main surface of the first and second side surfaces.

2. The quantum interference device according to claim 1 , wherein the main surface intersects an axial direction of the coil.

3. The quantum interference device according to claim 1 , wherein the metal material includes a soft magnetic material.

4. The quantum interference device according to claim 3 , wherein the soft magnetic material is permalloy.

5. An atomic oscillator comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 1 .

6. An electronic apparatus comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 1 .

7. A moving object comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 1 .

8. A quantum interference device comprising:
a gas cell into which metal atoms are sealed;
a light emitting portion that emits light including a pair of resonance light beams for resonating the metal atoms toward the metal atoms;
a coil that is provided to surround an outer circumference of the gas cell; and
a shield case that stores the gas cell and the coil, the shield case being made of a metal material, the shield case having top, bottom, and first through fourth side surfaces, wherein
the shield case is constituted by a plurality of tabular portions, each of the plurality of tabular portions has front and back tabular main surfaces and first through fourth tabular side surfaces,
in the plurality of tabular portions, at least the bottom and the first through fourth side surfaces of the shield case are continuously formed as a single contiguous unit, and
among the plurality of tabular portions, the front tabular main surface of one of two adjacent tabular portions directly faces an entire of one of the first through fourth tabular side surfaces of the other tabular portion.

9. The quantum interference device according to claim 8 , wherein
the front tabular main surface of the one of the two adjacent tabular portions intersects an axial direction of the coil.

10. The quantum interference device according to claim 8 , wherein
the metal material includes a soft magnetic material.

11. The quantum interference device according to claim 10 , wherein
the soft magnetic material is permalloy.

12. An atomic oscillator comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 8 .

13. An electronic apparatus comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 8 .

14. A moving object comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 8 .

15. A quantum interference device comprising:
a gas cell into which metal atoms are sealed;
a light emitting portion that emits light including a pair of resonance light beams for resonating the metal atoms toward the metal atoms;
a coil that is provided to surround an outer circumference of the gas cell; and
a shield case that stores the gas cell and the coil, the shield case being made of a metal material, the shield case having top, bottom, and first through fourth side surfaces, wherein
the shield case is constituted by a plurality of tabular portions, each of the plurality of tabular portions has front and back tabular main surfaces and first through fourth tabular side surfaces,
in the plurality of tabular portions, at least the bottom and the first through fourth side surfaces of the shield case are continuously formed as a single contiguous unit,
among the plurality of tabular portions, the front tabular main surface of one of two adjacent tabular portions directly faces an entire of one of the first through fourth tabular side surfaces of the other tabular portion, and
the front tabular main surface of the one of the two adjacent tabular portions intersects an axial direction of the light.

16. The quantum interference device according to claim 15 , wherein
the front tabular main surface of the one of the two adjacent tabular portions intersects an axial direction of the coil.

17. The quantum interference device according to claim 15 , wherein
the metal material includes a soft magnetic material.

18. The quantum interference device according to claim 17 , wherein
the soft magnetic material is permalloy.

19. An atomic oscillator comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 15 .

20. An electronic apparatus comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 15 .

21. A moving object comprising the quantum interference device according to claim 15 .

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Chindo Koji

Classifications

• H03L7/26 Primary

  using energy levels of molecules, atoms, or subatomic particles as a frequency reference · CPC title

• G04F5/14

  using atomic clocks · CPC title