Open (posted) · Other
Low-Cost Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (LC CSAC)
Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command, Department of Defense
Key facts
Copied from the official Grants.gov record. Last verified October 29, 2026.
- Program name
- Low-Cost Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (LC CSAC)
- Issuing agency
- Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command (Department of Defense)
- Opportunity number
- W911NF-17-S-0003-SPECIALNOTICE-LC-CSAC
- Funding type
- Other
- Funding purpose
- Science and Technology and other Research and Development
- Status
- Open (posted)
- Application deadline
- No fixed close date listed — see official listingAgency note: **READ FULL SPECIAL NOTICE FOR FULL INSTRUCTIONS**Per Special Notice, White Paper Submissions due via email to POCs in notice no later than 29 May 2020 at 11:59PM (EDT). For those invited to submit full proposals, full proposal submissions due via grants.gov no later than 14 July 2020 at 11:59PM (EDT).
- Published award range
- Not published by the agency
- Cost sharing or match required
- Yes
- Eligible applicants (official categories)
- Others (see Additional Information on Eligibility)
- Relevant to
- BusinessesHow we determined this: Listed as 'Others'; the agency's eligibility text mentions businesses (flagged for review).
- Geographic restrictions
- None stated in structured data (federal opportunities are often nationwide). Check the eligibility details and full announcement for any limits.
- Assistance Listing (CFDA)
- 12.431
- Official source
- View on Grants.gov ↗
- Application URL
- www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/326841 ↗Apply through Grants.gov (Workspace) using the application package on the official listing, unless the full announcement names a different submission system.
- Source identifier
- Grants.gov opportunity ID 326841 · Funding opportunity number W911NF-17-S-0003-SPECIALNOTICE-LC-CSAC
- Posted
- May 6, 2020 · Source last updated June 22, 2020
- Last verified
- October 29, 2026 (against Grants.gov)
- Data completeness
- 92% of key fields published by the sourceNot published: published funding range.
- Record confidence
- loweligibility described only in free text (in review); no close date published.
Eligibility details (from the agency)
This special notice seeks proposals from one or more for-profit firms in accordance with 32 CFR 37.210. A consortium, led by a for-profit firm, is also encouraged.
Description (from the official listing)
**PLEASE REVIEW FULL SPECIAL NOTICE** Funding Opportunity Title: Low-Cost Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (LC CSAC) Funding Instrument Type: Technology investment agreement The aim of this Special Notice under the ARL BAA (W911NF-17-S-0003), under Grants.gov Opportunity W911NF-17-S-0003-SPECIALNOTICE-LC-CSAC, is to fund a team or multiple teams to design, manufacture, and deliver a battery-powered atomic clock that achieves identical (or better) size, weight, and power (SWaP) and performance to the commercially available chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) with a selling price goal of < $300/unit in high volume. Precise timing is critical for numerous Army applications such as navigation, communications, surveillance, and synchronization of sensors and systems. Assured PNT solutions currently rely on acquiring GPS signals, which may not be readily available in increasingly contested environments. Commercially available silicon MEMS and quartz oscillators (TCXO, OCXO) are unable to provide GPS holdover in the event of a GPS outage, except for high-end OCXOs that may be considered large and power hungry for certain applications. To ease reliance on GPS, long-holdover clocks with SWaP-C appropriate for various DoD platforms are necessary to enable mission-critical functions even in contested environments. Current high-performance atomic clocks (maser, laser-cooled cesium fountain) serve as standards and are large, expensive, and require regular monitoring and exquisite environmental control. Since the early 2000s, the chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) has been developed and successfully…
Read the full description
**PLEASE REVIEW FULL SPECIAL NOTICE** Funding Opportunity Title: Low-Cost Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (LC CSAC) Funding Instrument Type: Technology investment agreement The aim of this Special Notice under the ARL BAA (W911NF-17-S-0003), under Grants.gov Opportunity W911NF-17-S-0003-SPECIALNOTICE-LC-CSAC, is to fund a team or multiple teams to design, manufacture, and deliver a battery-powered atomic clock that achieves identical (or better) size, weight, and power (SWaP) and performance to the commercially available chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) with a selling price goal of < $300/unit in high volume. Precise timing is critical for numerous Army applications such as navigation, communications, surveillance, and synchronization of sensors and systems. Assured PNT solutions currently rely on acquiring GPS signals, which may not be readily available in increasingly contested environments. Commercially available silicon MEMS and quartz oscillators (TCXO, OCXO) are unable to provide GPS holdover in the event of a GPS outage, except for high-end OCXOs that may be considered large and power hungry for certain applications. To ease reliance on GPS, long-holdover clocks with SWaP-C appropriate for various DoD platforms are necessary to enable mission-critical functions even in contested environments. Current high-performance atomic clocks (maser, laser-cooled cesium fountain) serve as standards and are large, expensive, and require regular monitoring and exquisite environmental control. Since the early 2000s, the chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) has been developed and successfully matured into a commercial product with DARPA and industry investment. While an Army/Air Force/OSD Manufacturing Technology effort further reduced the manufacturing cost1, the current selling price is still prohibitive for high-volume, low-SWaP DoD platforms. There is an opportunity to leverage the many advances in MEMS, photonics, and atomic physics over the past two decades to develop state-of-the-art, high-performance, battery-powered atomic clocks with improved manufacturability, significantly reduced cost, and improved performance. This special notice seeks proposals from one or more for-profit firms in accordance with 32 CFR 37.210. A consortium, led by a for-profit firm, is also encouraged. Points of Contact: Jonathan Hoffman jonathan.e.hoffman.civ@mail.mil Jenna Chan Jenna.f.chan.ctr@mail.mil
Agency contact
Christopher D Justice
Contract Specialist
Phone 9195494287
christopher.d.justice4.civ@mail.mil