Monday, November 14, 2011

SiTime Advances MEMS Timing to Replace Stratum 3 Quartz Oscillators

SiTime Corporation, which specializes in silicon MEMS timing solutions, has entered the realm of high-precision Stratum 3 compliant with a new family of devices to replace quartz oscillators in telecom and networking infrastructure such as SONET and Synchronous Ethernet based core and edge routers, wireless base stations, IP timing and smart grid applications. Sampling will begin next month.




The new SiT530x family combines Stratum 3 stability with small size, low voltage operation and programmable features inherent to the company's silicon MEMS technology. For SiTime, achieving the precision required for Telcordia GR-1244 Stratum 3 frequency stability specifications is a milestone in the 5-year development of its MEMS device.


"That a MEMS device can now replace OCXOs and TCXOs is a landmark that was considered unachievable for MEMS timing technology just a few years ago," said Jean-Christophe Eloy, CEO and founder of Yole Développement. "SiTime can now join a league of elite timing suppliers that service the highest performance applications. I think we can now safely say MEMS devices offer more features, higher performance and better value than quartz, which is driving the electronics industry's adoption of Silicon MEMS timing solutions."


The SiT530x family consists of two devices – the SiT5301, which operates from 1 to 60 MHz and the SiT5302, which operates from 60 to 220 MHz. Both devices offer the following features and benefits.


  • Meets or exceeds Telcordia GR-1244 Stratum 3 frequency stability specifications for the most stringent timing applications

  • ±0.1 PPM frequency stability over commercial temperature (0 to 70°C)

  • <±0.37 PPM 24-hour holdover stability

  • ±4.6 PPM frequency stability over 20 years

  • Available in a 2520 compatible package, the industry's smallest ±100 PPB solution. This is a 60% reduction in size compared to any other Stratum 3 TCXO and 10 times smaller than an OCXO. The family is also available in 3225, 5032 and 7050 packages.

  • Widest frequency range of 1 to 220 MHz with 6 digits of accuracy that allows designers to easily program custom frequencies and develop systems with better performance and reliability

  • Unlike quartz, the SiT530x oscillators have no activity dips, which enable a more stable reference clock and superior system performance over temperature

  • Operating voltage of 2.5V to 3.3V supports all telecom and networking SOCs, ASICs, and FPGAs and eliminates level translation

  • 500 femtoseconds of typical integrated RMS phase jitter (12 kHz to 20 MHz) to meet the stringent requirements of telecom and networking applications

  • SoftEdge configurable rise/fall time control improves trace impedance matching and reduces EMI
  • Available voltage control with pull range of up to ±12.5 PPM for in-system calibration and fine-tuning over time

  • 500 Million hours MTBF (10 times better than quartz)

  • 50,000 g shock and 70 g vibration resistance (10 times better than quartz)
http://www.sitime.com