University of Toronto, Physics, Quantum Optics
Alan Stummer, Research Lab Technologist

MicroMatic - Frequency Agile Microwave Source



Downloads
I am curious who uses what.  Are these webpages a waste of time, or are they any help to others?  Are the circuits, software and utilities appearing in other labs?  Please send your comments or suggestions or what you have used (or not) or schematics of your version or pictures or anything!   Email me, or be creative and send a postcard!  I want to hear from the vacuum!

NOTICE: This webpage and associated files is provided for reference only.  This is not a kit site!  It is a collection of my work here at the University of Toronto in the Physics department. If you are considering using any schematics, designs, or anything else from here then be warned that you had better know something of what you are about to do.  No design is guaranteed in any way, including workable schematic, board layout, HDL code, embedded software, user software, component selection, documentation, webpages, or anything.

All that said, if it says here it works then for me it worked. To make the project work may have involved undocumented additions, changes, deletions, tweaks, tunings, alterations, modifications, adjustments, waving of a wand while wearing a pointy black hat, appeals to electron deities and just plain doing whatever it takes to make the project work.



Overview
For Alma Bardon in Joseph's group, started February 2007.  The MicroMatic generates frequencies for the evaporative cooling of potassium gas as part of the BEC experiments . More acurately, the microwave frequency is a harmonic of the frequency generated on the MicroMatic.  The MicroMatic generates a frequency in the 100's of MHz and that is externally harmonically multiplied up to about 1.3GHz for evaporative of the potassium on the D2 line.
The MicoMatic is a marriage of the 40K Evaporator and the Chroma-Matic laser tuning.  Refer to those two webpages for more details.  It uses the old Rev:A Chroma-Matic PCB and assembly with an Analog Devices' AD9858 1GHz DDS evaluation board and a Rabbit RCM3200 module for control. Also included is a precision 61.440MHz OCXO (Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator).  This frequency is multiplied up to 983.04MHz on the AD9858 evaluation board then both used as the sample clock on the DDS and distributed out the back for other experiments as a precision frequency reference.  Details of the OCXO and the DDS are covered in the 40K Evaporator project and will not be repeated here.  Similarly, the Rabbit controller is covered in the Chroma-Matic project and will not be expanded on.  That said, both the Rabbit embedded code the control GUIs are modified to suit the subtlties of this project.


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