Tutorial: Fundamentals of Frequency References

Frequency references are a fundamental building block in a vast array of electronic systems. This tutorial will introduce several types of oscillators commonly used as frequency references, including crystal and MEMS oscillators as well as fully-integrated oscillators. Classical circuit architectures and recent advances will be shown. The tutorial will focus on how system-level requirements influence the circuit-level architecture, the required frequency accuracy, power consumption, and other design targets. Design tradeoffs will be described for each oscillator type. At the end of this tutorial, attendees will have a solid understanding of frequency reference specifications, common oscillator architectures, tradeoffs, and recent innovations in the field.