The fairy world of quartz vibrating MEMS

Abstract

Quartz crystal has been an essential material for time and frequency and radio-frequency applications during the 20th century. Quartz is always an unmatched material at the beginning of the 21st century, and hold 80 % of oscillators & RF market which represent today 17 billions market with a 10 % growth per year. This paper describes other more confidential applications - the vibrating inertial MEMS - where the quartz crystal plays also a major role. Clearly, quartz crystal has still a future in these high added value applications, and for a long time.