New York, NY -- With competition within the quartz crystal and oscillator market being driven in part by increased product sophistication and design alternatives, producers and researchers are working together to develop MEMS-based technology that would open new, more highly sophisticated product markets as well as better meet the technical demands of future electronic devices.
Currently, timing in electronic devices is achieved using quartz crystals or other piezoelectric materials, such as ceramics, to generate a fixed frequency at which operations (processing calculations and tuning) occur.
In 2003, quartz-based devices from crystal resonators to OCXOs continue to make up nearly 90% of demand while non-quartz devices, such as ceramic resonators and VCOs, comprise only 10% of the total market. Still in the prototyping and design phase, components that incorporate MEMS based frequency control have yet to be commercially viable.
MEMS, or micro-oscillators, promise to surpass all options in sophistication while keeping costs down. The main benefits being put forward by developers are that MEMs-based products can be manufactured using commercial silicon IC-techniques, thus increasing manufacturing capability while lowering cost per unit. The main technological advantages are that they are 150x smaller than traditional quartz resonators, and also offer higher frequencies with lower power consumption.
The theory behind micro-oscillators rests in electrostatic impulses which cause movement as opposed to piezoelectric effect which causes expansion and contraction. In other words, these devices physically move when stimulated. The movement, however, is in much the same way a tuning fork vibrates and can be controlled. (An interesting point to note is that this characteristic differentiates them from other micromachined devices which typically operate through moving gears and pins as opposed to vibration.)
Micro-oscillators are being developed by companies such as Discera Inc., whose parent company Ardesta LLC is a heavy investor in micro-technology markets. Discera's initial product, the MRO-100™, offers the performance of traditional frequency control products and multi-mode functionality (CDMA, GSM, GPS, BT) at 20-30% lower cost. The market being targeted to begin with is the consumer mobile communications market including handsets, WLAN and BlueTooth which make-up nearly 26% of total worldwide demand for frequency control products. Within the wireless market, Discera's main competitor is Agilent Technologies who is a major investor in MEMX, a spin-off company of Sandia National Laboratories and who bases their designs on Sandia's SUMMiTV technology.
Practically, switching to a MEMS-based product will require switching design technology for OEMs, so even while considering the advantages of micro-oscillators (and putting aside the fact that they are not currently available for commercial distribution), design changes are presently another obstacle for many manufacturers. Those involved in the market believe, however, that micro-oscillators will become part of commercial designs as early as 3Q 2004.
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