WEMA7: MEMS Oscillators for RF Engineers

Abstract
MEMS based oscillators entered the market about 20 years ago, providing clocks and timing for digital systems. With recent improvements in bandwidth, resolution, programmability, stability, and phase noise, MEMS oscillators are challenging Quartz and SAW based technologies in RF applications. MEMS based products now include XO, TCXO, and VCXO functions, along with complex multi-output clock generators and low noise frequency multipliers. This paper compares the performance of leading MEMS products against legacy solutions and highlights design considerations when choosing between these two fundamentally different technologies.