SiTime’s MEMS Oscillators, VCXO, and TCXO long term aging and jitter performance are comparable to, or better than, quartz-based oscillators. As you can see, the performance barrier has been shattered.SiTime’s MEMS oscillators simplify system designs and open the door to new applications.

1. MEMS Based Oscillators Outperform Quartz-Based Oscillators
Precision clock sources such as an XTAL, XO, VCXO, or TCXO require some type of resonator in order
to supply an accurate, specific frequency. For decades, cost-effective clock sources have been
manufactured with a quartz-crystal slice as the resonator element. That is, a precision quartz-crystal slice
is machined, polished, and plated such that it resonates at a specific frequency. The crystal is then
packaged together with a CMOS IC that provides the sustaining circuit and a logic-compatible output.
Though this approach has been main-stream for the last 80+ years, there are many limitations that clock
system designers have been forced to live with simply due to the lack of any other alternative in the
market. That is, until now!
There has been significant progress in the MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) oscillator
alternative. As a result, the quartz-based oscillator has a new and significant competitor. One MEMS
start-up innovator making an impact in the precision timing space is SiTime Corporation. SiTime’s all-
silicon MEMS oscillators have been able meet or exceed the performance of quartz-based oscillators and
overcome quartz-based limitations. A basic key feature of any oscillator is frequency stability. When
comparing standard oscillators, also called XO, the SiTime SiT8208 and SiT8209 guarantees less than
10 ppm (parts-per-million) over the -40°C to +85°C operating temperature range. This represents a 2x
(100%) performance improvement compared to the crystal-based 20 ppm alternative. Similarly, the
SiTime SiT5001 TCXO family features 0.5 ppm stability over the -40°C to +85°C operating temperature
range. This represents a 5x (400%) improvement compared to a 0.5 ppm crystal-based TCXO. And last,
SiTime’s MEMS Oscillators, VCXO, and TCXO long term aging and jitter performance are comparable to,
or better than, quartz-based oscillators. As you can see, the performance barrier has been shattered.
SiTime’s MEMS oscillators simplify system designs and open the door to new applications. First,
standard crystal-based oscillators do not operate at frequencies beyond approximately 70 MHz. Beyond
that frequency, crystal oscillators use different techniques that sacrifice accuracy (such as Surface
Acoustic Wave (SAW) oscillators) and reliability (Overtone Mode). SiTime’s single-ended LVTTL/CMOS
compatible oscillators operate at any frequency up to 220 MHz without any frequency holes and the
differential oscillator family expands the frequency to 800 MHz. Second, crystal-based oscillators cannot
support any frequency that the customer may want. Instead, they are available in standard, pre-set
frequencies already defined by the cut of the crystal. Any non-standard frequency requires the crystal
oscillator manufacturer to develop a new device and make it manufacturable in higher volumes, and the
lead time for the non-standard frequency is typically 16-weeks. As a result, the high selling price is
usually prohibitive for mid-to-high volume applications. This limitation goes away with the MEMS-based
approach. SiTime’s oscillators are all programmable to any frequency within their operating range as
previously described, samples are shipped within 48 hours, and the price is similar to any standard
frequency.
And last, MEMS-based oscillators are significantly more rugged and reliable. Shock and vibration are two
standard figures of merit. SiTime’s MEMS-based oscillators feature 50,000 G and 70 G tolerance to
shock and vibration, respectively. This represents a 7-10x improvement compared to crystal-based
oscillators with their shock and vibration tolerance of only 5,000 G and 10 G, respectively.
In summary, the SiTime’s MEMS-based oscillators meet or exceed the performance of crystal-based
oscillators plus they include the advantages of any frequency between 1-to-800 MHz without any delivery
delay, improved reliability, and no price premium for non-standard frequencies!
Learn more about :-, Differential Oscillator , Silicon Oscillator