Microchip opens new facility to boost hydrogen maser production

Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP) opened a new manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to increase production of its MHM-2020 Active Hydrogen Maser and reduce lead times, according to a company statement.

The approximately 15,000-square-foot facility includes temperature stability testing areas and a research and development laboratory. The facility will manufacture the company's MHM-2020 Active Hydrogen Maser, Auxiliary Output Generator and ultra-high-performance 1000C-OCXO crystal oscillator.

Hydrogen masers are atomic clocks that use hydrogen atom properties to emit precise microwave frequencies for timekeeping. These devices contribute to Coordinated Universal Time and synchronize applications including power grids, cellular networks and satellite communications.

The MHM-2020 Active Hydrogen Maser offers 1 picosecond synchronization for GNSS calibration and has demonstrated over 20 years of continuous operation with minimal maintenance. The device targets applications requiring extreme frequency stability, including scientific research, national timekeeping services, radio astronomy and GPS ground stations.

Microchip has operated in Tuscaloosa County since acquiring Frequency Time Systems in 1996. The new facility is located near the University of Alabama campus, with which the company has formed a strategic collaboration involving equipment sharing, student training and employment, and advisory board participation.

"This facility in Tuscaloosa was a priority for Microchip, both to meet the growing customer demand for our hydrogen masers and to strengthen our collaboration with the University of Alabama's Precision Navigation and Time Laboratory," said Randy Brudzinski, corporate vice president of Microchip's frequency and time systems business unit.

The MHM-2020 Active Hydrogen Maser is available for purchase through Microchip sales representatives and authorized distributors.

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