QS-EXACT: Quantum SiC for EXtreme Application Clock Technology

QS-EXACT, Quantum SiC for EXtreme Application Clock Technology, will integrate a series of building block technologies developed by UK industry into a robust timing system built by Nascent Semiconductor. This technology takes a new approach to the realisation of a precision clock that is highly accurate and will result in stable timing systems which are crucial to the operation of a wide range of infrastructure.

There are a number of different types of atomic clock currently in operation, ranging in size, accuracy, and stability. Typical atomic clocks use microwave emissions from rubidium or caesium as a frequency standard. An example of a more accurate clock is based on the hydrogen MASER (the microwave equivalent to the LASER).

However, these MASER systems are very large and unsuited to many applications. This project will exploit the quantum mechanical properties of atomic scale defects in silicon carbide, a wide bandgap semiconductor, to create a clock with a unique combination of stability, accuracy, portability and durability. The electronic structure of the silicon vacancy defect in silicon carbide results in the emission of a spectrally pure microwave signal when the defects are optically excited; allowing for the construction of a solid state silicon carbide MASER.

Such an approach to crafting a clock is advantageous in a number of ways. Silicon carbide has exemplary physical properties and so such a system will be intrinsically resilient and radiation hard. The system does not suffer from stability issues that restrict the deployment of other clocks, as the frequency of the MASER is constrained by the quantum properties of the defects.

The technology will offer a more compact and durable timing system that those currently available, but with a comparable performance. As a result it will be ideally suited for operations in challenging environments, from subsea to space, navigating submarines and delivering precision on-orbit operations.