More About Crystal Oscillators
A Crystal Oscillator is an oscillator that uses the resonance property of a quartz crystal to create an electric signal at a particular frequency. It is based on the inverse piezoelectric effect. Crystal oscillators are used to provide a stable clock signal for digital integrated circuits & microcontroller projects, to keep track of time, as in quartz wristwatches, and stabilize frequencies for radio transmitters and receivers, and much more applications. These devices can be sorted by a number of key parameters, some of these are:
Type of Crystal Oscillators:
- VCXO - Voltage Controlled Crystal Oscillators
- TCXO - Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillators
- OCXO - Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillators
- XO Crystal Oscillators are the main ones
Other types include clock oscillators, Digitally Controlled Crystal Oscillators (DCXOs), Temperature Controlled VCXOs, Voltage Controlled SAW Oscillators (VCSO) and VCTCXOs.
Key Specifications:
Frequency (MHz): This is the frequency at which the oscillator will operate.
Output Waveform: Each oscillator provides a certain type of output waveform – Sinewave, Clipped Sinewave, LVCMOS, CMOS, HCMOS are the main types.
Supply Voltage (V): This is the voltage that drives the crystal oscillator.
Frequency Stability (ppm): The frequency stability of the generated frequency is also another important parameter. It tells us about the variance in output frequency expected from the crystal oscillator. This is a measure of accuracy, that determines the applications in which the crystal oscillator can be used, as some applications required high accuracy. Click here to learn more about frequency stability.
Phase Noise: Phase noise is a measure of noise that is generated along with the desired signal. It is one of the most important specifications of a crystal oscillator. The lower the phase noise the better. Click here to learn more about phase noise.
everything RF lets you search for crystal oscillators by specification across multiple manufacturer catalogs. Crystal oscillators from more than 100 manufacturers have been listed. Use the specially developed parametric search tools to narrow down on products by nominal frequency, output waveform, frequency stability, phase noise, supply voltage and various other parameters. You can download datasheets and request quotations via the platform, your queries will be directed to the companies and their distributors in your region.
