FOAMO Quartz Ultra-Stable Oscillator (USO)
Miniature Master Oscillator
The FOAMO (Foam-insulated Master Oscillator) is a miniature ultra-stable quartz-controlled master oscillator for space applications. The oscillator provides a mission frequency control of less than ±1pp107, coupled with excellent medium and short-term stability and low phase noise. This oven-controlled quartz crystal oscillator (OCXO) uses a high-overtone SC-cut resonator fabricated from Astrium-grown High Purity Quartz. This material is the purest and most highly qualified quartz in the world and provides the FOAMO resonator with excellent intrinsic radiation tolerance.
Features / technical details
Main Features
- Excellent frequency stability, combined with low mass, size and power consumption
- Precision 5th-overtone SC-cut quartz resonator
- Uses Astrium-grown High Purity Quartz for radiation tolerance
- Low noise analogue RF and precision DC control circuitry in surface-mount format
- Advanced thermal management
Performance
| Frequency | 10 MHz – or custom, e.g. 5-15 MHz | |
| Stability (all causes) | <±1x10-7 (15 years) | |
| Ageing | <±1x10-11/day | |
| Frequency/temperature | <±1x10-11/°C | |
| Phase noise | ||
| 1Hz | -110 dB/Hz | |
| 10Hz | -140 dB/Hz | |
| 100Hz | -150 dB/Hz | |
| >1kHz | -155 dB/Hz | |
| Allan variance | <2x10-12 (1s – 100s) | |
| Warm-up | Less than ±1x10-8 in 10 minutes (-30°C) | |
| Output | 10 dBm sine | |
| Power consumption | 2 W (steady state, 25°C) | |
| Supply | 10-15 volts | |
| Size | 84 x 54 x 42 mm | |
| Weight | 80-220grams, depending on configuration | |
Benefits
- Very light and compact for a quartz USO
- Radiation tolerant – total dose and prompt radiation
- Mechanically robust – to withstand launch vibration and solar panel deployment
Interface
- Co-axial voltage supply for EMC, 10-15 V
- EFC suitable for telecommand
- Can be phase-locked, e.g. to an atomic standard
Environment
- Operating temperature: -30°C to +70°C
- Radiation tolerance: 100krad
- G-sensitivity: <1x10-9/g
Categories
Applications
The FOAMO ultra-stable oscillator is designed for use as the master frequency reference in spaceborne applications where high frequency stability is required together with low mass, power and size.
Reference customers
- Inmarsat-4
- Skynet-5
- Anik-F1R
- Sirius-V
