Unbuffered gates for crystal oscillators

CMOS logic devices have been used for many years as oscillators. Many designers have shied away from trying to design their own oscillator for fear issues that are hard to foresee. One issue is determining whether an oscillator will "start up". Another issue is the size of the logic circuit. While a package of 4 or 6 gates or inverters in a small SOIC package was considered very small in the past, today's wireless/handheld products require a much smaller footprint or board area than a 14 pin package.

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