Miniaturized Phonon Trap Timing Units for PNT of CubeSats

This project develops a fast and accurate chip-scale timing unit (clock) that can improve the quantity and quality of data transmitted from small spacecraft. Based on a new generation of phonon traps/resonators that are both passively and actively compensated, the proposed approach tackles these technical challenges by developing a chip-scale all silicon integrated clock that has orders of magnitude better frequency stability, lower acceleration sensitivity, and higher speed compared to quartz-based clock.

A high speed and accurate clock vastly improves satellite data transmission rates. A clock with the proposed performance cannot be obtained from any other current or planned product with such small-size, low-weight, low-power, and low-cost, making it an ideal candidate for CubeSats. In addition to CubeSats, precision chip-scale clocks have application in many other DoD systems such as GPS-denied position, navigation, and timing (PNT) as well as in GPS itself.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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