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The market for timing equipment based on silicon and quartz crystal oscillators is booming
Release time:2025/3/26 14:52:30
A strategic alliance between DisceraInc. and VectronInternational has launched the first MEMS-based CMOS timing circuit that directly replaces traditional quartz crystal oscillators. Other oscillator technologies that MOS1 can replace are ceramic, thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonators (Fbars) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) timing devices
Factory-free design
The MOS1 family of MEMS oscillators offers high performance and low cost in a small size to meet the needs of a variety of consumer and some military applications (Figure 1). It includes a MEMS resonator and is a fabless design that uses wafer-level processing to bond with signal conditioning ASIC leads."MOS1 is a direct alternative to existing timing devices on the market," said VenkatBahl, Discera's vice president of marketing. MOS1 is ideal for camcorders, still cameras,MP3 players,DVD players, mini disk drives, PDAs, TV players, set-top boxes, etc.
Compared to the 33MHz Epson SG-8002 quartz crystal oscillator, the MOS1MEMS oscillator of the same frequency has comparable jitter performance (RMS period jitter 25.38ps to 29.22ps) and power consumption is reduced by 1/3(6.8mAvs). At 3V it is 4.5mA, with a small frequency change over the temperature range, as shown in Figure 2.
Four versions in the MOS1 family produce frequency ranges from 1MHz to 125MHz, with a choice of frequency tolerances and stability data of ±100ppm,±50 and ±20ppm in the operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C. They all consume less than 1μA of standby current, which is a very important parameter for consumer electronics such as mobile phones and other portable products. All Discera's oscillators are specified to age at a rate of ±5ppm/ year or less and are available in plastic quad lead-free (QFN) or ceramic packages in the size of quartz 3225 crystal (QFN) or 1 mm (ceramic).
The first version of the MOS1 family, S1, operates from 1MHz to 10MHz. The S2 version operates from 10MHz to 40MHz; The S3 version is specified in the 40MHz to 80MHz range; The S4 version covers the 80MHz to 125MHz range. The S1 and S2 dissipate less than 6mA, while the S3 and S4 versions dissipate less than 7.5mA and 9.5mA, respectively. All four operate with a nominal supply voltage of 2.7 to 3.3V and produce a 3V output with a maximum output load of 15pF.
Discera was looking for three key characteristics of its CMOS MEMS oscillator (compared to a quartz oscillator): lower cost, shorter lead time, and better reliability." The cost of entering the MEMS oscillator market is less than half that of a quartz oscillator," says Bahl. The company believes that CMOSMEMS devices can save up to 15 percent annually - the cost of crystal manufacturers will be difficult to keep up. MEMS oscillators also provide a unique way to define operating frequencies over a wide range, with resolutions up to 2ppm.
Reliability and robustness are key attributes of these MEMS oscillators. Moreover, the cost of their high-performance special applications in extreme environments is reduced by about 100 times. Tests have shown that the resonator of MOS1 can withstand a shock of 30,000gs with no loss of performance and no need for specialized packaging. Discera plans to promote this robustness feature for certain military applications.
Large market loom
The timing equipment market based on silicon and quartz crystals is booming and continues to grow steadily. That's the assessment of ABIResearch, a market analysis firm that expects total revenue to grow from $4.2 billion in 2006 to $5.7 billion in 2011. They conclude that silicon-based solutions are getting better and will eventually replace quartz crystal oscillators, a sentiment Discera and Vectron agree with.
"We believe MEMS oscillators are an important part of the future of the frequency control market," said EdGrant, vice president of product and operations for North America at Vectron." While the promise of MEMS oscillators has been around for a long time, no supplier has been able to demonstrate reliability and manufacturability. We believe Discera is uniquely positioned to deliver on this promise. We look forward to working with Discera to leverage our complementary skills to create industry-defining products."
The market role for Zoom Discera was MarioSaucedo, Director of product at Vectron, who noted that while Vectron's biggest market is high-end applications, Discera's CMOS MEMS oscillator has a compact form factor and low cost that makes it a great fit for our smaller commodity timing market devices.
An advanced resonator technology
Key to Discera's MEMS resonator structure is its patented PureSilicon micromechanical resonator technology. The technology is the culmination of more than a decade of product development undertaken by Discera founder Dr. ClarkNguyen and numerous employees, including Discera's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Wan-ThaiHsu. Work on low frequency programmable crystal oscillators originated at the University of California, Berkeley. Later, research on higher frequency, higher stability high-Q resonators was carried out at the University of Michigan (which is still ongoing).
Products based on PureSilicon resonators are manufactured using submicron design rules, using proven CMOS manufacturing technology, with 2 polysilicon layers and a single metal layer (Figure 3). Over a wider operating temperature range,Pure Silicon resonator technology has more linear properties than quartz crystal products. Future products will improve the temperature range and target more difficult environments.
The resonator is designed to achieve optimal performance, striking a balance between low DC bias voltages, high Q values and good power handling. The resonator has sufficient mechanical stiffness to allow the use of less stringent vacuum packaging and bonding techniques, thereby reducing production costs (Figure 4). This method allows the production of oscillators that meet or exceed key quartz crystal oscillator specifications for jitter, power consumption, voltage variation, and temperature stability.
Factory-free design
The MOS1 family of MEMS oscillators offers high performance and low cost in a small size to meet the needs of a variety of consumer and some military applications (Figure 1). It includes a MEMS resonator and is a fabless design that uses wafer-level processing to bond with signal conditioning ASIC leads."MOS1 is a direct alternative to existing timing devices on the market," said VenkatBahl, Discera's vice president of marketing. MOS1 is ideal for camcorders, still cameras,MP3 players,DVD players, mini disk drives, PDAs, TV players, set-top boxes, etc.
Compared to the 33MHz Epson SG-8002 quartz crystal oscillator, the MOS1MEMS oscillator of the same frequency has comparable jitter performance (RMS period jitter 25.38ps to 29.22ps) and power consumption is reduced by 1/3(6.8mAvs). At 3V it is 4.5mA, with a small frequency change over the temperature range, as shown in Figure 2.
Four versions in the MOS1 family produce frequency ranges from 1MHz to 125MHz, with a choice of frequency tolerances and stability data of ±100ppm,±50 and ±20ppm in the operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C. They all consume less than 1μA of standby current, which is a very important parameter for consumer electronics such as mobile phones and other portable products. All Discera's oscillators are specified to age at a rate of ±5ppm/ year or less and are available in plastic quad lead-free (QFN) or ceramic packages in the size of quartz 3225 crystal (QFN) or 1 mm (ceramic).
The first version of the MOS1 family, S1, operates from 1MHz to 10MHz. The S2 version operates from 10MHz to 40MHz; The S3 version is specified in the 40MHz to 80MHz range; The S4 version covers the 80MHz to 125MHz range. The S1 and S2 dissipate less than 6mA, while the S3 and S4 versions dissipate less than 7.5mA and 9.5mA, respectively. All four operate with a nominal supply voltage of 2.7 to 3.3V and produce a 3V output with a maximum output load of 15pF.
Discera was looking for three key characteristics of its CMOS MEMS oscillator (compared to a quartz oscillator): lower cost, shorter lead time, and better reliability." The cost of entering the MEMS oscillator market is less than half that of a quartz oscillator," says Bahl. The company believes that CMOSMEMS devices can save up to 15 percent annually - the cost of crystal manufacturers will be difficult to keep up. MEMS oscillators also provide a unique way to define operating frequencies over a wide range, with resolutions up to 2ppm.
Reliability and robustness are key attributes of these MEMS oscillators. Moreover, the cost of their high-performance special applications in extreme environments is reduced by about 100 times. Tests have shown that the resonator of MOS1 can withstand a shock of 30,000gs with no loss of performance and no need for specialized packaging. Discera plans to promote this robustness feature for certain military applications.
Large market loom
The timing equipment market based on silicon and quartz crystals is booming and continues to grow steadily. That's the assessment of ABIResearch, a market analysis firm that expects total revenue to grow from $4.2 billion in 2006 to $5.7 billion in 2011. They conclude that silicon-based solutions are getting better and will eventually replace quartz crystal oscillators, a sentiment Discera and Vectron agree with.
"We believe MEMS oscillators are an important part of the future of the frequency control market," said EdGrant, vice president of product and operations for North America at Vectron." While the promise of MEMS oscillators has been around for a long time, no supplier has been able to demonstrate reliability and manufacturability. We believe Discera is uniquely positioned to deliver on this promise. We look forward to working with Discera to leverage our complementary skills to create industry-defining products."
The market role for Zoom Discera was MarioSaucedo, Director of product at Vectron, who noted that while Vectron's biggest market is high-end applications, Discera's CMOS MEMS oscillator has a compact form factor and low cost that makes it a great fit for our smaller commodity timing market devices.
An advanced resonator technology
Key to Discera's MEMS resonator structure is its patented PureSilicon micromechanical resonator technology. The technology is the culmination of more than a decade of product development undertaken by Discera founder Dr. ClarkNguyen and numerous employees, including Discera's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Wan-ThaiHsu. Work on low frequency programmable crystal oscillators originated at the University of California, Berkeley. Later, research on higher frequency, higher stability high-Q resonators was carried out at the University of Michigan (which is still ongoing).
Products based on PureSilicon resonators are manufactured using submicron design rules, using proven CMOS manufacturing technology, with 2 polysilicon layers and a single metal layer (Figure 3). Over a wider operating temperature range,Pure Silicon resonator technology has more linear properties than quartz crystal products. Future products will improve the temperature range and target more difficult environments.
The resonator is designed to achieve optimal performance, striking a balance between low DC bias voltages, high Q values and good power handling. The resonator has sufficient mechanical stiffness to allow the use of less stringent vacuum packaging and bonding techniques, thereby reducing production costs (Figure 4). This method allows the production of oscillators that meet or exceed key quartz crystal oscillator specifications for jitter, power consumption, voltage variation, and temperature stability.
