Frequency Control & Timing Devices

Frequency control is the process of maintaining stable clocking and timing signals within digital devices. Since all digital circuits rely on precise clocks to coordinate operations at exact intervals, frequency control is essential for reliable system performance.
Timing devices and frequency control components generate continuous, synchronized signals that ensure data transmission occurs at the correct time and speed. By utilizing principles applied to quartz crystals, MEMS, and ceramic resonators, these devices produce highly stable oscillations. Such precise timing is critical in wireless technologies like Zigbee and Bluetooth, as well as in automotive systems, medical equipment, and smartphones.

Tuning Fork Crystals
Crystal packages continue to shrink, with sizes such as 1.2 x 1.0 mm and 1.6 x 1.2 mm now common, alongside the global standard 3.2 x 2.5 mm package. For 32.768 kHz watch crystals, popular sizes include 3.2 x 1.5 mm and 1.2 x 1.0 mm. Despite a growing demand for smaller crystals, cost reduction remains a priority, so traditional HC-49 SM packages (like the CSM-7X (5PX)) are still best-sellers worldwide. Crystals are primarily used with processors and require matching capacitors on PCBs to complete the oscillator circuit.

Oscillators
Oscillators are also becoming more compact, with products like the ECS-1612MV—the smallest MHz oscillator at 1.6 x 1.2 mm—gaining popularity. Over the past five years, 3.2 x 2.5 mm and 2.5 x 2.0 mm packages have been most common. Our MultiVolt™ Oscillators, quartz-based and available in 32.768 kHz, MHz, and TCXO variants, deliver preferred performance with low jitter, tight tolerance, and low power consumption. AEC-Q200 qualified options are also available. Compared to MEMS devices, MultiVolt™ oscillators provide superior performance at a lower cost.
[Explore our surface mount oscillator catalog here.]

TCXOs and OCXOs
Temperature-Compensated Crystal Oscillators (TCXOs) come in sizes from 2.0 x 1.6 mm up to 7.0 x 5.0 mm, supporting applications such as GPS. They are offered with CMOS or clipped sine wave outputs, suitable for analog or digital systems. Our MultiVolt™ TCXOs continue to improve and may soon replace traditional models.
Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillators (OCXOs) feature internal heaters and temperature control circuits to maintain the crystal at its precise “turn-point,” providing exceptional stability, reduced jitter, and low phase noise. However, OCXOs are more costly to design and manufacture compared to other oscillator types.