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Chip-scale atomic clocks

In addition to increased accuracy, the development of chip-scale atomic clocks has expanded the number of places atomic clocks can be used. In August 2004, NIST scientists demonstrated a chip-scale atomic clock that was 100 times smaller than an ordinary atomic clock and had a much smaller power consumption of 125 mW. The atomic clock was about the size of a grain of rice with a frequency of about 9 GHz. This technology became available commercially in 2011. Atomic clocks on the scale of one chip require less than 30 milliwatts of power.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology created a program NIST on a chip to develop compact ways of measuring time with a device just a few millimeters across.

Metrologists are currently (2022) designing atomic clocks that implement new developments such as ion traps and optical combs to reach greater accuracies.