mems resonators and their applications in timing circuits
TRANSCRIPT
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MEMS resonators and their applications in timing circuits
Aarne OjaTikitin Ltd
26 April 2017www.tikitin.com
Email: [email protected]
MEF 2017, Tokyo, 2017
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base station
Jack's phone
Frequency channels
Crystals and oscillators are everywhere in electronics
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)2sin( ftp
fT 1=
ns 100MHz 10
==
Tf
Quarz resonator
Oscillator loopamplifier
Oscillator output signal
Quartz resonator dominate the market
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Introduction to Tikitin Ltd
• Tikitin was established in May 2016 to commercialize the pioneering 17-yrs long research of MEMS resonator technology by the VTT Technical State Research Centre of Finland
• Mission: replace quartz crystals with MEMS resonators in time and frequency control applications
• Tikitin products• MEMS resonators (HighT & HighQ)• Core MEMS and a reference design for an Oven-Controlled MEMS
Oscillator (OCMO)• Entry markets: high-end markets• Go-to-market with strong partners
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Production at a multi-user clean-room
• Tikitin uses the cleanroom of VTT Technical State Research Centre of Finland • 2600 m2 clean room with versatile tools for industrial MEMS manufacturing• Present capacity allows annual production up to 100 million MEMS resonators• No process transfer is needed when moving from R&D to production
Figure from VTT cleanroom http://www.micronova.fi/research/
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Tikitin MEMS resonator technologies
Tikitin HighQ Resonator technology
• Electromechanical coupling by electrostatic force
• Narrow electrode gap needed• High bias voltage needed• Q = 1,000,000• Ideal for high-precision frequency control
applications
(Cross sections schematic, not to scale)
Tikitin HighT Resonator technology
• Electromechanical coupling by the thin-film AlN layer on top of the resonator
• Q = 10,000• Rm = 100 Ohm• Pin-to-pin replacement with quartz possible
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Materials-based thermal compensation of Si resonators
Modified from A. Jaakkola et al, Proc. IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium, 2015, p. 420
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Thin-film AlN MEMS resonator technology
Wafer-level packaging using eutectic bonding
Tikitin HighT Resonator technology
(Cross sections schematic, not to scale)
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Thermal stability
• Frequency range 10 MHz … 50 MHz• Thermal stability of Tikitin HighT resonators better than that of AT-cut quartz
especially over a large operation range (up to 125 ∘C or 125 ∘C )• Even up to ±5 ppm over -45 ∘C … +85 ∘C
(Antti Jaakkola, Ph.D. Thesis 2016)
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Size
• Tikitin HighT Resonator die footprint 800 µm x 700 µm • MEMS resonator thickness 400 µm
Samples available in June 2017Die size 1100 µm x 1100 µm x 650 µm
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Phase noise
• Phase-noise performance similar to that of AT-cut quartz • Tikitin HighT MEMS resonators can be driven with several oscillator circuits
originally designed for quartz resonators (f.ex. NXP, Seiko, New Japan Radio, MAS)
-40-50-60-70-80-90
-100-110-120-130-140-150-160-170-1801101001k10k100k1M
Phaseno
ise[d
Bc/Hz]
FrequencyOffset[Hz]
25MHzQuartz
25MHzTikitinHighTHDMEMS
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Value proposal for automotive applications
• High shock tolerance (about 20x better than with quartz)• Automotive AEC-Q200 certificate is business-as-usual for MEMS (but not for quartz)
(up to 125 deg-C but and above)• Tikitin HighT MEMS resonators have better temperature stability than quartz• External quartz resonator can be embedded within the sensor module such as tire-
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) similarly to the MEMS pressure sensor element• Sensor product owners are able to offer a more complete solution by increasing the
integration level• End customers can simplify their supply chain, save costs, and reduce risks
Illustrations from Infineon SP37 marketing material
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MEMS for timing the IoT infrastructureRef Epsonhttp://www5.epsondevice.com/en/applications/wired_network/#05
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MEMS opportunities in small cell base stations
• With deployment of 4g LTE and 5g, the number of base stations increases• Higher data rates and fan-less smaller base stations need frequency references which
operate at higher ambient temperatures (f.ex. up to +95 ∘C or above) • Small size and lower power consumption are also important• Tolerance against vibrations important for in-vehicle applications• High-quality-factor MEMS resonator Q ~ 1,000,000 suitable for precision applications• Key idea of an Oven-Controlled Oscillator: stay at the ”turn-over temperature” TTOT
Antti Jaakkola et al, Proc. IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium, 2014, p. 1
TTOT
Frequency vs temperature
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MEMS resonators meet the OCXO performance level
• Ovenized Tikitin HighQ resonator shows a frequency stability better than 1 ppb/day
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Oven-controlled MEMS oscillator (OCMO) value proposal
Feature Tikitin OCMO vs. state of art OCXO
Power consumption At least 4x lowerSize At least 3x smallerWarm-up time At least 15x fasterOperation temperature At least 10 deg-Celsius higher
No Freq.(MHz)
Aging Phase noise 1kHz offset (dBc/Hz) ref. 10 MHz
Volume(mm3)
Power(mW) at 25°C
Temp.coeff.(ppb/°C)
Warm-up time(sec)
1 Vendor1 Quartz OCXO
20 <±5 ppb/day -140 800 500 <±0.2 180
2 Vendor 2 Quartz OCXO
12.8 ±2 ppb/day (typ)
-145 313 400 <±1 180
3 Tikitin OCMO target specification
10 < 1 ppb/day -145 100 100 <±0.2 10
Important pioneering research by Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Sandia National Lab
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The battle between Quartz vs. Si MEMS resonators
• Quartz resonators have been able to shrink and become cheaper• With the progress of “Looks like quartz MEMS resonator technology”,
MEMS offers a replacement opportunity practically in all product segments• Si MEMS should also have a cost advantage• Use of wafer-level-packaging (rather than ceramic packaging) brings
down the cost • Opportunity for a higher integration level (More than Moore) favors MEMS
• SiP• Heterogeneous integration (rebuilt wafer / e-WLP)• Monolithic integration• MEMS component clusters could make the entry into high-volume IoT
markets (f.ex. gyro + resonator)
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Worldwide crystal and oscillator market is very fragmented –Will adoption of MEMS change the situation?
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Tikitin value proposal & go-to-market strategy
• Tikitin is looking for strategic partnerships with (a few) industrial leaders in the frequency control market
• Tikitin offering to its partners• Unique MEMS resonators for selling & product branding• MEMS core and a reference design for an oven-controlled MEMS
oscillator• Partnership with Tikitin offers
• Differentiation with respect to competitors• Product diversification• Technology risk mitigation• Better satisfaction of customer needs
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Summary
• MEMS resonators are starting to challenge quartz resonators in all commercially relevant product segments
• Benefits of Tikitin “Looks Like Quartz” technology include• Small size• Thermal stability• Mechanical robustness• Low aging
• Performance of oven-controlled reference oscillators can be taken to the next level by using MEMS
Samples available soon in limited quanities. Sign up if interested!