Secretive Government Advanced Research Agency Awards Pasadena Company Contract to Build Miniature Atomic Clocks

A Pasadena-based microwave photonics and sensor products company has been awarded a new contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, to develop miniature battery-powered atomic clocks.

OEwaves said it uses a photonic approach based on Whispering Gallery Mode micro-optical technology — which it developed in tandem with Pasadena’s California Institute of Technology — that enables great-improved stability in terms of size, weight and power compared to conventional technologies, according to a statement made to the media.

The company plans to use this technique to better current miniature atomic clock and GPS technology, said Lute Maleki, OEwaves’ President and CEO in the press release.

“We are excited to be part of this very important DARPA Program. High performance miniature atomic clocks are key to successful operation of systems that must successfully perform when GPS is denied or is unavailable,” Mati said in the statement.

The company’s initial phase is valued at $1.7 million with $2.8 million options for phases two and three, it said.

DARPA not only seeks to develop the atomic clocks for environments that are denied GPS services, but also to overcome the limitations of their previously-developed chip-scale atomic clock in terms of aging, temperature sensitivity and power cycle frequency reproducibility.

OEwaves was founded in 2002 as a developer of state-of-the-art technology in support of radar, communications, fiber-optic sensors and measurement systems for military and commercial markets. It maintains a portfolio that includes maintaining 26 agreements with Caltech.