All-silicon-based clock-oscillator ICs have always been available for applications that don't require high levels of precision. Yet these devices don't meet the tight tolerance requirements many applications require. As a result, designers often use ceramic resonators and crystal oscillators that require many external components, which are much larger.
Micro Oscillator Inc. has come up with a CMOS-based clock oscillator IC that fills this void. Unlike ceramic resonators and crystal oscillators, the MOI-2000 can be embedded into a microcomputer chip die to save even more space and cost.
This complete oscillator for microcontroller-based circuits employs a patented temperature-compensated circuit that enables it to operate at total frequency accuracy within ±0.5%. Its frequency range is 2 to 20 MHz. Total tolerance is ±0.5% over the operating-temperature range of 0°C to 70°C. The chip can also work over the industrial-temperature range of −40°C to 85°C with a total tolerance within ±1.0 and an automotive-temperature range of −40°C to 150°C with a total tolerance within ±1.5%. It operates from either 5 V or 3.3 V at an extremely low 1.6 mA or 0.7 mA, respectively.
Unlike ceramic resonators and crystal oscillators that rely on mechanical vibration for frequency generation, this device is inherently more reliable and durable, besides its much smaller size. And it doesn't cost much more than ceramic resonators, which cost between $0.10 to $0.25, and crystal oscillators, which cost $0.35 to $0.60, says company president Fred Minow. Pricing starts at $0.45 each in lots of 10,000 in an MSOP-8 or an SOP-8 package.
Micro Oscillator Inc. (610) 617-8682www.micro-oscillator.com