For more than 50 years, quartz oscillators dominated the marketplace. Now it’s silicon’s turn.

For decades, developers pursued a dynamic duo that, in theory, looked to hold all the cards: an accurate oscillator joined to a silicon resonator. Unfortunately, only one option presented itself as a viable oscillator material—quartz—and its material characteristics prevented any union with inexpensive silicon wafers.

Silicon-based oscillators remained an elusive technological dream as research revealed its potential without actually proving its worth. Recent microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator breakthroughs, however, such as improved long-term frequency stability and thermal hysteresis, have convincingly made the case for MEMS.

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