Microcontroller based scanning transfer cavity lock for long-term laser frequency stabilization

Abstract

We present a compact all-digital implementation of a scanning transfer cavity lock (STCL) for long-term laser frequency stabilization. An interrupt-driven state machine is employed to realize the STCL, with the capability to correct for frequency drifts in the slave laser frequency due to measured changes in the lab environmental conditions. We demonstrate an accuracy of 0.9 MHz for master laser and slave laser wavelengths of 556 nm and 798 nm as an example. The slave laser is also demonstrated to dynamically scan over a wide frequency range while retaining its lock, allowing us to accurately interrogate atomic transitions.