MEMS resonators look to displace quartz resonators

The developments in MEMS resonator technology have provided silicon microelectromechanical resonators with various advantages over the quartz crystal technology that has dominated the timing market. MEMS oscillators have good performance, are very small, and are extremely cost-effective. The MEMS components provide vital economic leverage by repurposing the tremendous investments made by the CMOS industry. MEMS First resonators are compatible with standard CMOS processes and may be integrated with PLLs, digital logic, and analog circuitry on the same die in the future. The improved performance at smaller geometries will enable development of compact MEMS oscillators with higher operating frequencies and lower phase noise that will benefit applications such as cell phones, which rely on high-accuracy frequency sources. It is expected that oscillators built with this new technology will offer smaller form factor, improved reliability, and lower solution cost.