MEMS as low-cost high-volume semiconductor solutions: it's all in the packaging and assembly

Abstract

Micro-electromechanical (MEMS) oscillators are now in production and shipping in quantity. Early development of micro mechanical devices provided the understanding that metal beams could be fabricated and they would resonate as a time reference. The issues of performance and price have prevented silicon entry into the quartz dominated market until recent developments in semiconductor processing and assembly. Today MEMS oscillators are the world's smallest programmable precision oscillators and are displacing quartz technology in the +/- 50 ppm accuracy spec. New oscillators extend the technology with spread spectrum, voltage control, and improved jitter performance. New ultra-thin packaging, made possible by the small encapsulated MEMS resonators, provides the word's thinnest precision oscillators.