All-silicon MEMS oscillator devices to launch a full challenge to the traditional quartz

We have a dream, to make electronic products are all from the “sand” – “silicon” to form, and now we are from this dream is getting closer, but there is a very stubborn one device – crystal / clock has been or by quartz and other large-scale production is not easy, easy miniaturization of material composition. IC Components There is a one of the electronics industry veteran Bosch (PhD) spin-off companies – SiTime, six years ago it launched a challenge to this technology, to use silicon-based MEMS technology to replace traditional quartz crystal clock oscillator, he succeeded , and the gradually from the low-end consumer electronics market, the clock, enter the server market, and eventually enter the required very high telecommunications, wireless communications market, challenging the traditional constant Wenjing Zhen and TCXO product, which represents a new milestone, because prior to these area is not considered feasible by MEMS technology to achieve the clock.

SiTime MEMS timing devices provided by the package in a standard 8-inch wafer of MEMS resonators (wafer-level packaging) and analog IC (including PLL, VCO) integrated package is made available and the use of a low-cost high-volume production of plastic packaging technology, making the clock device size, lead times are greatly reduced. “Because MEMS resonators have been encapsulated in a vacuum wafer film, so we can use the plastic package of economic, rather than expensive metal packages.. This patented technology from which Dr. Yu.” SiTime vice president of marketing Piyush Sevalia to explain.

“The standard high-volume semiconductor manufacturing process, and double guarantee under the plastic packaging technology, compared to traditional quartz devices, SiTime has excellent ability to supply the Lead time and minimum time.” He added. And, because based on the standard wafer production process, yield has increased dramatically, including the production yield and product-market rate after the anti-revisionist, as compared to conventional silicon MEMS Dan Yingjiang times the impact resistance. “Our traditional product failure rates are a few percent of quartz products.” He said.
In addition, SiTime’s business model is very flexible plastic packaging in addition to providing the clock / oscillator components, but also to provide silicon-IC MEMS resonator die. “Now there are many companies use our MEMS resonator die for real-time clock chip control, next year the market will grow very fast.” He said. Since its establishment in 2005, SiTime has shipped 75 million units of silicon MEMS clock products of the global silicon MEMS clock 85% market share, the clock can be said that silicon MEMS market, the absolute leader. microchip pic MEMS die in the supply side, the market just start volume. “This market is currently shipping approximately 300-500 million units next year is expected to surge, the smart meter is one of the master IC large market demand.” He said. “In addition, our solutions can be tailored to encourage customers to further optimize its electronic product features, size reduction and improved product reliability.”

This, SiTime introduced SiT530x series all-silicon MEMS three clock (Stratum 3) solution as an alternative to the traditional constant Wenjing Zhen and TCXO products. Application of the target market positioning in the telecom and network infrastructure, such as based on Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) and Synchronous Ethernet core and edge routers, wireless base stations, IP clocks and smart grid applications. SiT530x family consists of two devices – operating frequency range of 1 to 60 MHz operating frequency range of SiT5301 and 60 to 220 MHz of SiT5302.
They have the following features and benefits: meet or exceed the most demanding clock applications for the Telcordia GR-1244 Stratum 3 stability frequency standards, such as in the commercial temperature (0 to 70 ° C) under the frequency stability of ± 0.1 PPM; the use of 2520-compliant package, the industry’s smallest ± 100 PPB solutions; support the widest frequency range (1 to 220 MHz), 6 after the decimal point accuracy. Designers use SiTime’s programmable frequency function, free from restrictions on fixed frequency quartz products can be used to design with higher performance and reliability of the system. In addition, the range between 2.5V and 3.3V operating voltage for all telecommunications and network support for SOC and ASIC, FPGA.

SiTime CEO Rajesh Vashist said: “quartz with a few decades the industry was able to achieve this precision, and SiTime in just five years have exceeded this level of performance. Stratum 3 clock with innovative products such as disruptive as well as our recently published differential voltage controlled oscillator products and silicon oscillators product, SiTime silicon MEMS clock is accelerating all application products by high-performance, low cost and ease of use combine, we have successfully given up to 500 customers conventional quartz products in favor of our products. ”

The company’s global agency market and production Arrow Asset Management senior vice president Jeff Eastman said: “SiTime programmable architecture ensures Arrow stock at any time and we have many customers to the benefits program at SiTime all the advantages of silicon.” This For the electronics market, is really a major milestone. “A few decades ago we replaced the transistor chip, TI(texas instruments) a dozen years ago, we replaced the disk of Memory Products and film, and now we have to use real silicon MEMS-based semiconductor devices to replace traditional quartz oscillators, which will be Another major change in human lifestyle change.