Silicon Technology Enables Replacement of Quartz

Crystal oscillators require a unique quartz resonator for each frequency. The crystal oscillator assembly process requires the quartz to be cut, x-rayed, lapped, mounted, and sealed into the final package . Fabrication of these resonators becomes increasingly difficult at frequencies over 100 MHz because the resonator must be manufactured to very tight tolerances.

The complexity of the manufacturing process is subject to poor yield at multiple steps within the process forcing material restarts and overall production delays.In addition to silicone bowl lead times, reliability is a chief concern with quartz oscillators. Quartz oscillators are susceptible to contamination which can affect both the center frequency and the ability of the XO to start up reliably. If an oscillator fails in the end application, often the entire system fails because the oscillator provides critical timing for the electronics.


The industry has long been searching for a technology that enables the replacement of quartz oscillators with a solution that addresses lead time and reliability concerns while providing Oem Silicone performance on par with quartz oscillators. Over the last several years, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based oscillators have emerged as a possible replacement technology for quartz oscillators. MEMS-based oscillators provide an alternative solution to quartz by replacing the quartz oscillator with a CMOS-based mechanical resonator.