Crystal oscillator boasts ultra-low jitter, frequency flexibility

Silicon Labs claims that its new crystal oscillators (XOs) offer the industry’s lowest jitter along with a frequency-flexible performance. The Si54x Ultra Series XOs bring ultra-low jitter down to 80 femtoseconds (fs) for both integer and fractional frequencies across the entire operating range.

These XOs facilitate superior jitter margin for demanding applications such as 100G/200G/400G line cards and optical modules, hyperscale data centers, broadband wireless infrastructure, broadcast video, industrial, test and measurement, and military and aerospace.

Silicon Labs’ new XOs are available with single-, dual-, and quad-frequency options in a standard 3.2 x 5-mm package. That ensures drop-in compatibility with traditional XOs while providing quicker lead times.

Higher network bandwidth and faster data rates continue to drive the need for lower-jitter reference clocks. It’s important to note that timing jitter defines the purity of a clock signal. So an XO functions as the system’s local heartbeat.

Therefore, a clean, low-jitter output means less noise in the system. The ultra-low jitter XOs with

“Today’s optical networks, hyperscale data centers, and mobile fronthaul and backhaul networks are moving to higher speeds, driving the need for ultra-low jitter timing solutions,” said James Wilson, senior marketing director for Silicon Labs’ timing products.

He added that Silicon Labs’ PLL-based approach to oscillators enables efficient manufacturing flows and simplified factory programming, eliminating long lead times and supply-chain headaches associated with custom oscillators. Timing suppliers usually take 10 to 15 weeks to produce an XO.

On the other hand, Silicon Labs keeps pre-screened XO stock on hand, so when an order arrives, the appropriate stock is programmed to the exact frequency. Furthermore, each XO device undergoes 100% electrical testing before shipment.

This optimized supply chain enables Silicon Labs to ship samples of any frequency XO in one to two weeks and production quantities in four weeks. Wilson claims that they are the shortest lead times in the high-performance frequency control industry.