Epson Develops Compact Atomic Oscillator

Only 1/16th the size of Epson’s previous oscillators but with same long-term frequency stability

Seiko Epson Corporation (TSE: 6724, “Epson”) has developed a small, highly stable atomic oscillator, the AO6860LAN, for telecommunications networks and industrial applications. The development of the new oscillator will be presented on November 4, 2015, in Edinburgh, UK, at the upcoming ITSF 2015 (the International Telecom Sync Forum). Volume production is scheduled to begin in 2016.

The new product makes it possible for Epson’s customers to build smaller, more reliable telecommunications infrastructure and test and measurement systems that consume less power. Although Epson has provided atomic oscillators for communications infrastructure equipment in the past, the new product utilizes an original vertical cavity surface-emitting laser and special IC, both designed and manufactured by Epson. These enabled the company 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 oscillator also consumes just 1/6th the power of the previous model thanks to an optimized control system.

With the new atomic oscillator and a product lineup that already includes families of high-precision crystal oscillators in the OCXO, VCXO, and TCXO categories, Epson will support the development of small, reliable systems by providing timing devices for a wide range of equipment that are used in the construction of optical telecommunications networks and other future high-capacity networks.

Epson remains committed to serving the telecommunications infrastructure and the test and measurement equipment markets by leveraging its original technology to continue to provide high-stability timing devices and modules.