MEMS alternatives to Quartz Oscillators: Why do people ...

MEMS alternatives to Q
Why do people want to

2012 MEMS Business Forum

Harmeet Bhugra
Managing Director
MEMS Division, TSD

©2012 Integrated Device Technology, Inc.

Quartz Oscillators:
o buy them?

1

●Overview of the timing market

●Major application trends driving

●Frequency Control Product solu

● Crystal oscillators
● SAW Oscillators
● CMOS (LC-Tank) Oscillators
● MEMS Oscillators

●Non-quartz approaches being ta

●Why alternative solutions to qua

●Pros and cons of each approach

●Why MEMS solutions are increa
designers.

● Summary

www.IDT.com PAGE

Agenda

g frequency control products.
utions

aken by various companies
artz are gaining traction.
h.
asingly being favored by system

E 2 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

 Technology Disruption: MEM
are enabling competitive solutio
from XO suppliers.

 Growth Driver: Integrated os
new technologies… adoption dr
functionality.

 Consumer: Multi PLL and Multiple Ou

references.

 Communications: Low phase jitter

with integrated MEMS references.

 Industrial: Timing solutions resistant

references.

www.IDT.com PAGE

Growth Drivers

MS technologies such as pMEMSTM
ons to offer gain market share

scillator products being enabled by
riven by performance, cost and

utput timing solutions with integrated MEMS
and high native frequencies timing solutions
to shock and vibration with integrated MEMS

E 3 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

Frequ

Performance, Reliability, C
and Power consumption va

www.IDT.com PAGE

uency Reference Applications

Cost, Package, Size
aries significantly

E 4 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

Frequency C

Frequency selective tank

O Resonating
S Tank
C
I
L
L “ONE ST
A Amp Crystal
T Oscillators
O
R Sustaining Amplifier

SAW Oscillators CMOS O

www.IDT.com PAGE

Control Product Solutions

Quartz Crystal, SAW,
LC tank,
Micromechanical resonator

TOP SHOP” for Frequency Control Products

Oscillators MEMS Oscillators

E5 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

Frequency

TCXO OCXO
$776M $166M
19%
4%

VCXO
$184M | 5%

MEMS XO
Oscillators $446M
In 2016 11%

MEMS
Oscillators
Today

www.IDT.com PAGE

y Control TAM CY2012

O $4.06B Total
January 2012
M Ceramic
% $615M kHz XTAL
$629M
15% 15%

MHz XTAL
$1.2B
31%

Sources: CS&A, IDT, iSuppli

6

E 6 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

Capacitiv

Narrow gaps DC bias

AC signal AC signal
In Out

Capacitive/Electrostatic

Requires narrow gap
(~100nm) and large DC bias
(> a few volts)

www.IDT.com PAGE

ve vs. Piezoelectric MEMS

AC signal in AC signal out

Piezoelectric

Electrodes on resonator body.
No bias needed.
No Stiction issues.

E 7 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

IDT pMEMS
Technology

• World’s smallest WLP resonator (b

• No power source needed (passive
• Higher native frequency (up to ~1G
• Lower Insertion Loss (IL ~10dB) – B
• Reliable Manufacturing (no ~100nm
• No Stiction issues (cause reliability

www.IDT.com PAGE

better reliability and cost)
i.e. mimics quartz)

GHz)
Better Noise performance
m electrode gaps)
y failures)

E 8 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

Why system desig

Feature Want? MEM

Cost Lower Lowe
packa
Frequency Higher pMEM
Frequ
Size Smaller MEMS
Stability Better MEMS

Long Term and Short Term More Confi
multi
Functions Lower LVPEC
Absence None
Power Supply Short Very
Activity Dip Small
Lead Times Better No Sh
Inventory Wider
Reliability S
Operating Temperature ranges
Highe

S

Wide

www.IDT.com PAGE

gners want MEMS Oscillators?

MS Oscillators

er costs due to semiconductor scaling and plastic
ages
MSTM can cost effectively provide higher native
uencies
S enables sizes smaller that traditional XOs
S demonstrates either comparable or better stability

igurable PLL, multipliers, dividers, programmable,
iple Outputs
CL, LVDS, 3.3V, 2.5V and lower…
e
short lead times, Immediate sampling

hortages

Semiconductor Level Availability

er Reliability

Silicon Level Reliability, Production Cost Savings

e temperature ranges commercial/industrial

E 9 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM

● Quartz Frequency References have b

● Users have had a no choice mentality…..
● New MEMS technologies are solving quartz

reliability, size and cost.
● Evolve or die… new product categories are

● Does that mean quartz references wi

● No, all technologies (Quartz, SAW, CMOS &
● All freq. reference technologies will survive

package etc. Thus the need for “One Stop S
● MEMS is taking advantage of silicon level re

push frequency references into a new era.

● MEMS adoption for frequency referen

● Today MEMS frequency reference solutions
technical and commercial barriers yet to be

● There has been customer reluctance in ado
companies such as IDT are helping bringing

● The future for MEMS frequency refere

● …. and pMEMSTM technology offers a comp

www.IDT.com PAGE

Summary

been around for decades

issues related to performance, availability,

being enabled.

ill cease to exist?

& MEMS) have an optimum space.
and thrive based on the final performance, cost,
Shop” and optimized products.
eliability, manufacturability and miniaturization to

nce applications is increasing.

s offered only by small startups with some
e overcome.
opting new technologies. Established timing
g these technologies to market.

ences is bright…

pelling solution for high performance oscillators.

E 10 BHUGRA – 2012 MEMS BUSINESS FORUM