The MEMS generation takes its place beside quartz.(SPECIAL FEATURE)

From: Fiber Optics Weekly Update | Date: March 7, 2008| Author: Clark, Douglas Glenn | Copyright information

For decades, an accurate oscillator using a silicon resonator remained an elusive technological dream as research revealed its potential as an alternative to quartz oscillators without actually proving its worth. Recent MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) resonator breakthroughs, such as improved long-term frequency stability and thermal hysteresis, have convinced some design engineers and management teams that the new technology's day has come.

Since World War II, qua...

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