IDT pMEMS oscillators claims lowest jitter for 10GbE

Integrated Device Technologies announced it has begun shipping its latest series of MEMS oscillators to 10Gbit Ethernet vendors. The device utilises piezo-electric material (pMEMS) and is housed in an ultra-tiny package compared with legacy quartz crystals to provide optimal performance at a lower cost.

IDT's new 4H-series pMEMS differential oscillators measure just 3.2-by-2.5 mm (also available in a legacy package that matches the data input-output pin-out of a quartz crystal). Frequency can be set by the designer (up to 625MHz) plus allows fine-tuning offset frequencies during operation, to further minimise bit-error rate and to facilitate margin testing for optimal performance of finished designs.

IDT claims its piezoelectric material, which permits 10 times higher base frequencies than silicon-MEMS oscillators, also offers 40 times better reliability than quartz-crystal oscillators, as well as better EMI immunity and resistance to vibration and shock.

- R. Colin Johnson
??EE Times