MEMS resonator touts small size, high Q

MEMS resonator touts small size, high Q
Sunnyvale, Calif. — Startup company SiTime claims to introduce the industry's smallest and thinnest megahertz resonator. Shipped in die form, the SiT0100 MEMS resonator measures 0.8 (tall) x 0.6 (wide) x 0.15-mm (thick), and is compatible with standard semiconductor packaging for system-in-package (SIP) and multi-chip modules (MCM).

The SiT0100 SiRES resonator operates at 5.1 MHz and has a Q of approximately 80,000. The phase noise performance is -115 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz allowing it to be used in most consumer, automotive, and industrial frequency control applications. When combined with an oscillator circuit the power consumption is similar to quartz devices with similar Qs.

The MEMS resonators are not directly compatible with quartz resonators. These MEMS devices require a unique drive circuit and a stable bias voltage for proper operation, said the company. Unlike quartz resonators, the megahertz resonator may be placed in a MCM or SIP solution and handled as any semiconductor die. The resonator may be wire bonded or flip chipped and then plastic encapsulation with no substantial change in performance.

SiTime offers a design-in kit, the SiT0100DK, complete with a detailed datasheet, LRC model, an example 0.18 um CMOS drive circuit, and documentation. It's available under a non-disclosure agreement which includes three days of on-site support.

The SiT0100 is manufactured with SiTime's proprietary MEMS First and EpiSeal process, which is designed to withstand extremely harsh environmental conditions. This process allows the device to withstand plastic molding, wire bonding, and lead-free soldering. The resonator will perform well in tough automotive and industrial reliability tests, according to the company.

Due to its small size and mass, the resonator is highly reliable and withstands 30,000 g of shock and a 50 Hz to 1 kHz 15 g continuous sine wave, according to the company. The part ages less than 0.15 ppm per year for 25 years with no detectable thermal hysteresis, which is said to eliminate frequency error sources that are impossible to calibrate. Click the link for more information about the SiT0100 resonator, and here for the datasheet.

Available now, the SiT0100 is priced at $0.35 to $0.25 in quantities of 1 million and 10 million units, respectively. The SiT0100DK development kit is priced at $150,000.

SiTime, 1-408-328-4400, www.sitime.com