Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) oscillators are replacing quartz crystals at a 120 percent annual growth rate, according to an industry forecast by Wicht Technologie Consulting (WTC, Munich), or four times the growth rate forecast for MEMS foundries by Yole Development (Lyons, France), which predicted 30 percent annual growth. In the figure, is WTC's prediction that the current $2.5 million market for MEMS oscillators will grow to $140 million by 2012, fueled by microminiaturization in consumer and automotive electronics as well as by system-on-chip MEMS with multiple oscillators on a single CMOS chip. Beyond 2012, MEMS oscillators could also begin penetrating the $1 billion market for mobile handset timing chips, according to WTC. Already shipped are about 3 million MEMS oscillators in 2007 from Discera and SiTime Corp. wtih Silicon Clocks Inc. readying its first shipments of silicon-germanium based MEMS oscillators, which the company plans to offer as system-on-chip timing circuits. CMOS timing chips with no moving parts--both quartz crystals and MEMS resonators have moving parts--have also been announced by Mobius Microsystems Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.). In early April, Mobius unveiled a CMOS harmonic oscillator that eliminates other timing chips in favor of an inductive-capacitive oscillator on CMOS that uses no mechanical resonators.

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