Quartz Crystal Oscillators (FOAMO)
The FOAMO (Foam-insulated Master Oscillator) is a miniature 10MHz 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 EADS-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.
The quartz resonator at the heart of the FOAMO achieves excellent short-term and long-term stability as a result of rigorous fabrication process control and proprietary manufacturing techniques
The oscillator has been nuclear-hardened for commercial and military space applications and is designed to withstand the high levels of random vibration and shock associated with satellite missions.
Features / technical details
Main Features
- Precision 5th-overtone SC-cut resonator
- Uses High Purity Quartz
- Low noise analogue RF and precision DC control circuitry in surface-mount format
- Advanced thermal management
- RF/supply/efc cavity for EMC
- Co-axial voltage supply for EMC
- EFC suitable for telecommand
- Can be phase-locked, eg to atomic standards
- Very light and compact for a quartz USO
- Radiation tolerant
- Mechanically robust – to withstand launch vibration and solar panel deployment
Performance
| Frequency | 10 MHz | |
| Stability (all causes) | <±1 x 10-7 (15 years) | |
| Ageing | <±1 x 10-11/day | |
| Frequency/temperature | <±1 x 10-11/ ̊C | |
| Phase noise | ||
| 1Hz | -110 dBc/Hz | |
| 10Hz | -140 dBc/Hz | |
| 100Hz | -150 dBc/Hz | |
| >1kHz | -155 dBc/Hz | |
| Allan variance | < 2 x 10 (1 s – 100 s) | |
| Warm-up | Less than ±1 x 10-8 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 | |
| Operating temperature | i-30 ̊C to +70 ̊C | |
| Radiation tolerance | D100 krad | |
| G sensivity | <1 x 10-9/g | |
Categories
Reference customers
FOAMO master oscillators have been delivered for Inmarsat 4 and ANIK F1R, and also an identified military satellite application.
