Sand 9 launches first piezoelectric MEMS timing product

CAMBRIDGE, USA: Sand 9 Inc. became the first micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) company to achieve the stringent low-noise, high-stability and harsh environmental requirements for precision timing in communications infrastructure, industrial and military applications.

As the first product based on Sand 9's patented Temperature Compensated MEMS Oscillator (TCMO) platform--which features the industry's highest-performance MEMS architecture--the TM651 offers system designers a better alternative to existing quartz and MEMS-based timing solutions.

The TM651 exceeds the performance of quartz in several ways, offering exceptional activity dip suppression, superior shock and vibration immunity, and outstanding electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection. The end result is an extremely reliable timing source that enables better system design, quality, reliability and performance.

The TM651 also provides 100 times better electromechanical coupling over conventional electrostatic MEMS architectures. This produces a significantly higher signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, supporting far greater performance than any other MEMS solution.

"While every electronic application needs a timing device in order to function, quartz-based products have been historically slow to evolve," said Vince Graziani, CEO, Sand 9.

"The TM651 is a major step forward in that evolution. It delivers greater precision and higher reliability than competitive solutions, which is critically important for large communications infrastructure systems, such as data center switches, Ethernet communications and point-to-point radios--applications for which packet loss or loss of signal is simply not acceptable. These attributes are equally crucial for thousands of different high-value industrial and military applications."

Sand 9 is working closely with a number of leading analog semiconductor partners to provide reference designs for their synthesizer and timing products.

Peter Real, VP, High Speed Products and Technology, Analog Devices, commented: "As a leading supplier into communications infrastructure, industrial and military markets, Analog Devices is committed to exploring technologies that may improve the experience of our customers. Having initially invested in Sand 9 late last year, we are pleased to see them launch their first precision MEMS timing product."