SiTime Corporation, a leading provider of MEMS timing, has announced the revolutionary Emerald Platform, the first family of MEMS-based OCXOs (oven controlled oscillators). Legacy OCXOs offer the pinnacle of performance in timing components and are critical to the reliable operation of communication networks. However, they are very sensitive to environmental stressors, which can degrade network performance and reduce uptime. SiTime’s Emerald Platform OCXOs solve this problem.
“Innovation is a hallmark of SiTime. Our mission is to innovate and solve difficult timing problems for large markets, and 5G fits this profile perfectly. In 5G deployment, equipment is located closer to the customer, and is subject to more thermal shock, vibration, high temperature and humidity. To reliably deliver 5G’s speed and services, a new approach to timing was required,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO of SiTime. “Using innovative design techniques, we developed the Emerald Platform OCXOs with 20 times higher performance than legacy quartz OCXOs. These new OCXOs are a game-changer in 5G timing and has been very well-received by early customers. Looking forward, we will continue to expand our roadmap and TAM with new products for 5G, and extend our leadership in the $1.5 billion networking and telecommunications timing market.”
Solving the usability challenges of quartz OCXOs
Because of the sensitivity of legacy quartz OCXOs, customers have to take many precautions to ensure reliable operation. A key challenge is the board placement of the OCXO, which needs to be located far away from stressors such as heat and airflow-induced thermal shock. This results in increased routing complexity and potential signal integrity problems. Designers have also tried using specialised plastic OCXO covers for thermal isolation, which introduces additional manufacturing steps and production complexity. Emerald MEMS OCXOs eliminate all of these problems; they simplify design, reduce development time, accelerate revenue, while improving system performance.
Flexibility through programmability
Legacy quartz OCXOs are custom built, from the ground up. There are severe limitations on the availability of features, such as frequencies, output types, operating temperature, and in-system control. SiTime’s Emerald Platform MEMS OCXOs do not have these limitations. Using a programmable analog architecture, the Emerald OCXO offers any frequency between 1 and 220 MHz, ensuring that the customer can select the optimal frequency for their application. The device also offers two output types, LVCMOS and clipped sine-wave, for optimal board performance. In the near future, the Emerald OCXO will also offer extended temperature operation (-40 to +95C, -40 to +105C) and an I2C serial interface for in-system programmability.
Emerald – key specifications
All comparisons are with quartz-based Stratum 3E OCXOs
- 10 times better performance than quartz Stratum 3E OCXOs in the presence of airflow and rapid temperature change
- ΔF/ΔT dynamic stability: +/-50 ppt/°C typical (ppt = parts per trillion)
- Allan Deviation (ADEV): 2e-11 under airflow
- Unmatched ease-of-use
- No restrictions on PCB placement
- No mechanical shielding for thermal isolation
- Washable during system assembly
- Size: 9×7 mm, 75 per cent smaller. Adapter boards are available to match common OCXO footprints
- Height of 6.5 mm, 40 per cent thinner, eliminates obstruction in a chassis-based system
- 20 times better vibration resistance, ideal for outdoor pole mounted equipment
- Resistant to microphonic and/or board bending effects, ideal for large telecom PCBs
- Supports -40 to +85°C temperature range today, -40 to +95°C and -40 to +105°C support available in the near future
- The only programmable OCXO platform, supports any frequency up to 220 MHz and LVCMOS / clipped sine-wave outputs
- On-chip regulators, no need for external LDOs or ferrite beads
- Semiconductor-level quality and reliability, batch to batch consistency
- No activity dips
Emerald MEMS OCXO samples are available now for qualified customers. Production quantities will be available in Q2 2019 and stocked at catalog distributors such as Digi-Key and Mouser.
