OCXO Quartz Crystal Oscillator
The OCXO (Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator) is a miniature, stable, high frequency quartz-controlled master oscillator for space applications. The oscillator provides a mission frequency control of less than ±2pp107, coupled with excellent medium and short-term stability and low phase noise. This oven-controlled quartz crystal oscillator 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 OCXO resonator with excellent intrinsic radiation tolerance.
Features / technical details
Main features
- Provides 100 MHz high stability output with excellent phase noise
- Precision 5th-overtone SC-cut resonator
- Uses Astrium-grown High Purity Quartz for radiation tolerance
- Very small, with low mass and power consumption
Performance
| Frequency | 10 MHz – or custom, e.g. 5-15 MHz | |
| Frequency/temperature | <±1x10-11/°C | |
| Stability (all causes) | <±1x10-7 (15 years) | |
| Ageing (over life) | <±1x10-11/day | |
| Low phase noise | ||
| Allan variance | <2x10-12 (1s – 100s) | |
| Warm-up | Less than ±1x10-8 in 10 minutes (-30°C) | |
| Output | 6.5dBm sine | |
| Power consumption | <1W (steady state, 25C) | |
| Supply | 12 volts | |
| Size | 25 x 25 x 17mm | |
| Weight | 40 grams | |
Benefits
- Very light and compact
- Radiation tolerant – total dose and prompt radiation
- Mechanically robust – to withstand launch vibration and solar panel deployment
Interfaces
- Co-axial voltage supply for EMC
- EFC suitable for telecommand
- Can be phase-locked, e.g. to a quartz master oscillator
Environment
- Operating temperature: -20°C to +70°C
- Radiation tolerance: 100krad
- G-sensitivity: <1x10-9/g
- Vibration: 44grms
Categories
Applications
The OCXO can be used as the master frequency reference in spaceborne applications where a high frequency is required, together with good frequency stability, low mass, and size and power consumption.
Also as a low noise VHF VCO in satellite-based frequency generation applications.
Reference customers
ESA Hylas, Telstar-II
