White Paper: Symmetricom introduces new Atomic Clock for offshore geophysical market

Offshore staff

SAN JOSE, California – Symmetricom has introduced it QUANTUM Chip Scale Atomic Clock (SA.45s CSAC), which it says delivers the accuracy and stability of an atomic clock to portable applications for the first time.

The SA.45s CSAC enables a new class of atomic clock applications, defined by portability, and can be used in offshore geophysical applications.

Several classes of underwater sensor systems rely on precise timing to be effective. Precise time from GPS is unavailable underwater, and so such sensors have generally relied on OCXOs for stable and accurate time stamping within the sensor.

Symmetricom says its SA.45s CSAC can greatly improve the accuracy, reduce the cost and reduce the effects of temperature on sensor systems.

During a typical deployment, sensors can be underwater for several weeks at a time. The company says that the SA.45s’s low aging rate greatly reduces time-stamping errors.

And because the SA.45s consumes one-tenth to one-twentieth the power of an OCXO, it requires much less battery power, which means smaller and lower-cost sensors, the company says.

Symmetricom also says that with a temperature coefficient of ±5.0x10-10 over its entire temperature range, the SA.45s can offer a 10x to 1,000x improvement over alternatives typically used for this application.

For more information, download the white paper at: http://www.offshore-mag.com/index/whitepapers/whitepaper-display/3768172608/whitepapers/pennenergy/general/new-technology_enables.html

07/13/2011