AOSense compact gravimeter
A portable gravimeter that integrates lasers, vacuum, and electronics to measure gravity with cold‑atom technology.


Startup · United States
HQ SunnyvaleFounded 200411-50 employees
AOSense, Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative atom-optic sensors for inertial navigation, time and frequency standards, and gravity measurement.
| Fiscal year | Obligated | Actions | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (to date) | $1.2M | 10 | 6 |
| FY2025 | $3.4M | 13 | 6 |
| FY2024 | $4.5M | 15 | 13 |
| FY2023 | $1.6M | 19 | 8 |
| FY2022 | $448K | 36 | 29 |
| FY2021 | $7.1M | 20 | 15 |
| FY2020 | $2.4M | 27 | 18 |
| FY2019 | $2.7M | 26 | 13 |
| FY2018 | $8.6M | 43 | 20 |
| FY2017 | $8.3M | 35 | 18 |
| FY2016 | $16.7M | 58 | 23 |
| FY2015 | $13.6M | 31 | 23 |
| FY2014 | $12.7M | 32 | 19 |
| FY2013 | $5.2M | 18 | 13 |
| FY2012 | $11.8M | 17 | 8 |
| FY2011 | $1.6M | 11 | 5 |
| FY2010 | $3.3M | 11 | 3 |
| FY2009 | $9.0M | 8 | 4 |
| FY2008 | $276K | 3 | 2 |
Only actions coded to a DoD acquisition program.
Signed obligations on federal prime contracts (award types A–D) from USAspending, FY2008 through Oct 9, 2026. Obligations are money the government committed, not company revenue, and include de-obligations. Subcontracts and grants are excluded. Matching is by registered UEI.
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2013 | Grant | $149K | — | U.S. National Science Foundation | — | Reported |
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
A portable gravimeter that integrates lasers, vacuum, and electronics to measure gravity with cold‑atom technology.
Rack-mount microwave atomic clock using laser-cooled rubidium atoms.
Cold atomic beam source for precision experiments and atomic devices.
Two-axis optical cavity for transferring laser frequency stabilization.
Polarization-maintaining fiber frequency-comb optical package; pump lasers and control electronics are supplied separately.
Newest unveiled first. Open a system for its milestone timeline, components and sources.
| Facility | Kind | Location | Status | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOSense headquarters and labs | Headquarters | Fremont, CA, United States | Operating | Confirmed |
Co-Founder & President
Co-Founder/Executive Chairman
Co-Founder
Executive Chairman
Chief Technology Officer
Employee-profile counts reflect LinkedIn profiles associated with the company, not verified headcount. One observation establishes a baseline; it does not establish growth.
AOSense · Supports Organization · description, Organization · name, Organization · website
“AOSense, Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative atom-optic sensors for inertial navigation, time and frequency standards, and gravity measurement.”
AOSense · Supports Organization · status
“AOSense, Inc. is always seeking talented scientists, engineers, and support staff”
Sixth-Domain · Supports Organization · country, Organization · kind
“{"country": "USA", "hq_iso2": "US", "id": "c281ce73-6613-4bc7-b13a-2d59dce6cbbc"}”
AOSense · Supports System
“The AOSense Laser Lock Module (LLM) provides a compact, mechanically-robust laser frequency reference”
AOSense · Supports System
“Atomic oven with collimated output for ultra-high vacuum systems, loaded with Sr, Yb, Ca or Ba. The oven provides superior heat isolation while achieving high atomic flux. Its low power consumption results in exceptionally low pressures during normal operation for temperatures up to 650 °C. The chamber is shipped in an ultra-high vacuum storage chamber supplied by AOSense. ”
AOSense · Supports System
“Complete cold atomic beam sources for alkaline-earth precision experiments and atomic devices. Small chambers with patented permanent-magnet Zeeman slowers and in-vacuum 2D MOT optics allow high flux with low outgassing and no thermal beam flux at the cold atom port, which provides a CF-133 connection to customer vacuum chamber. Advanced thermal design of the effusion oven allows long-lifetime operation at minimal heating power, with no water cooling. An integrated low-outgassing hot window is provided for coupling of on-axis Zeeman cooling light. Ion and getter pumps integrated into the chamber manage outgassing from the oven at temperatures up to 600 °C. Operating baseline pressures below 1×10-11 mbar can be attained in the customer’s downstream cold atom (typically 3D MOT) science chamber, with suitable pumping speed provided at the differentially-pumped cold beam output port.”
AOSense · Supports System
“The AOSense Integrated Laser Controller + Servo (ILC-Servo) has all the features of the standard ILC with additional servo features that may be used to lock the laser to an atomic reference line, optical cavity, or optical beat note. All options and adjustable parameters are fully digitally controlled.”
AOSense · Supports System
“The AOSense frequency comb is a low noise, polarization maintaining (PM) device. Key features include a PM fiber architecture centered at 1550nm with turnkey modelocking; a free-running linewidth of the carrier-envelope offset frequency of <200 kHz; a temperature-insensitive all-fiber f-2f interferometer exhibiting fceo beatnotes with SNR > 45dB (300kHz RBW); and dual fast/slow cavity length actuators with a bandwidth of >300 kHz. The repetition rate of the comb is factory set and allows matching across multiple combs for dual comb applications. The optics package incorporates an optical heterodyne module designed for locking to the comb to an ITU-specified laser reference. The comb is capable of supporting an Allan deviation of < 5 x 10-18 at 1 second and ~10-20 after 105 seconds. Add-on features include all fiber extensions to visible wavelengths corresponding to several atomic transitions. An integrated comb electronics package is currently under development.”
AOSense · Supports System
“Rack-mount microwave atomic clock using laser-cooled 87Rb atoms. Production unit target specifications: Allan deviation 2×10-12 @ 1 s, 2×10-14 @ 104 s; flicker floor 1×10-14; absolute accuracy < 1×10-13.”
AOSense · Supports System
“Real-world atomic sensors and other exacting applications require laser sources with specific size, environmental, and optical characteristics, placing unique constraints that most commercial laser systems do not meet. AOSense has developed a line of external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) designed to meet these needs, offering narrow linewidth in a compact package.”
AOSense · Supports System
“Rack-based laser systems for quantum research/applications.”
AOSense · Supports System
“AOSense offers dual-stage, free-space optical isolators at 690 nm, 780 nm, and 852 nm for enhanced isolation. The innovative, small package size enables integration into compact laser sources and amplifiers without sacrificing transmission efficiency. The low external magnetic field enables the isolator to tightly integrate into systems with high magnetic-field sensitivity such as atomic spectrometers, magnetometers, clocks, and cold-atom devices.”
AOSense · Supports System
“Free-space optical isolators at 690 nm, 780 nm, and 852 nm. The innovative, small package size enables integration into compact laser sources and amplifiers without sacrificing transmission efficiency. The low external magnetic field enables the isolator to tightly integrate into systems with high magnetic-field sensitivity such as atomic spectrometers, magnetometers, clocks, and cold-atom devices.”
AOSense · Supports System
“The AOS-KM-2 is designed for applications requiring small form factor, such as compact lasers and optical systems. The non-magnetic materials construction is ideal for applications requiring low magnetic field, such as atomic clocks, laser spectroscopy, and quantum technologies. The actuators have 200 TPI (0.127 mm pitch) resolution. Sapphire jewel pads enhance stability and reduce thermal drift.”
AOSense · Supports System
“AOSense offers two compact TA units: free-space tapered amplifier unit and fiber pigtailed tampered amplifier unit, which has fiber coupled input.”
AOSense · Supports System
“AOSense offers two compact TA units: free-space tapered amplifier unit and fiber pigtailed tampered amplifier unit, which has fiber coupled input.”
AOSense · Supports System
“The AOS-Cav-λR-λ1-λ2 is a two-axis, non-confocal Fabry-Perot optical cavity in UHV for stabilization transfer from a reference laser with wavelength lR (e.g., rubidium-stabilized 780 nm laser) to disparate laser wavelengths (e.g., for atomic ion laser cooling) either by offset Pound-Drever-Hall locking or scanning transfer technique. The target finesse is >1,000 for all wavelengths. Device includes electrical feedthrough/interface for PZTs, thermistor, and heating element for temperature stabilization. An ion pump controller is not included.”
AOSense · Supports System
“The AOS-Cav-λR-λl is a non-confocal Fabry-Perot optical cavity in UHV for stabilization transfer from a reference laser with wavelength λR (e.g., rubidium-stabilized 780 nm laser) to disparate laser wavelengths (e.g., for atomic ion laser cooling) either by offset Pound-Drever-Hall locking or scanning transfer technique. The target finesse is >1,000 for all wavelengths. Device includes electrical feedthrough/interface for PZTs, thermistor, and heating element for temperature stabilization. An ion pump controller is not included.”
PitchBook · Supports Funding round · amount
“Grant | 17-Jun-2013 | $149K”
AOSense · Supports Facility, Role
“Our 28,000 ft2 facility, located in Fremont, CA is equipped with multiple cleanroom labs”
AOSense · Supports Facility
“40919 Encyclopedia Circle Fremont, CA 94538-2436, USA”
LinkedIn · Supports Facility, Organization · employee range, Organization · founded year, Organization · linkedin url, Organization · ownership, Organization metric · employees in linkedin, Organization metric · followers
“headquarters: Fremont, California”
Crunchbase · Supports Organization · employee range, Organization · hq city, Organization · legal name, Organization · linkedin url, Role
“employee_range: 11-50 (profile: 11-50)”
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