Date: 25/02/2009

MEMS based low power programmable spread spectrum oscillator

SiTime Corporation has unveiled SiT9003, the industry's lowest power programmable spread spectrum oscillator. The SiT9003 typically consumes one-third the power of comparable quartz-based solutions and reduces electromagnetic emissions by up to 12 dB, enabling systems to pass environmental compliance quickly. The device's standard footprints enable quartz replacement without system re-design or re-layout, which results in cost savings and faster time to revenue. Additionally, the SiT9003 has a number of programmable features - frequency, voltage, tolerance and the amount of spreading - enabling customized samples to be delivered in 24 hours and production shipments in two weeks.

"System designers continue to seek ways to extend battery life and decrease the size of their products," said Piyush Sevalia, SiTime's vice president of marketing. "The simultaneous availability of small size, low power, programmability and spread spectrum is made possible by SiTime's industry-leading MEMS technology and high performance analog design capabilities, and enables us to offer a leadership product that sets a new benchmark."

The SiT9003 is the smallest, lowest-power programmable spread spectrum oscillator available in the market today. Four standard package sizes and footprints are available, the smallest being 2.5 x 2.0 mm, making it ideal for use in space-constrained applications. The device can be programmed for frequencies between 1 and 110 MHz and operating voltages of 1.8V, 2.5V, 2.8V or 3.3V, as well as down-spread and center-spread configurability. This extensive programmability allows users to streamline their vendor base and qualification efforts by using a single chip to replace a wide range of oscillators.

The SiT9003 joins two previously announced programmable spread spectrum clock oscillators from SiTime: the SiT9001, which offers the industry's smallest footprint for space constrained applications; and the SiT9002, which is the only differential output programmable spread spectrum oscillator on the market today.

Like its predecessors, the SiT9003 enables designers to replace existing two-chip solutions with a single chip because it includes an embedded MEMS resonator as the clock reference.
SiT9003 are sampling now with production volumes during the second quarter of 2009.