Epson Toyocom Corporation has announced the development of a new, smaller, frequency-stable TCXO (temperature-compensated crystal oscillator) with frequency stability high enough even for demanding GPS applications. The new oscillator, the TG-5025BA, is housed in a 2016-sized package (actual dimensions are 2.1 mm × 1.7 mm), putting it in the world's smallest category of packages.
Commercial development is scheduled for February 2009, the oscillator will
then be available at distributor Rutronik.

The market for GPS (global positioning system) capability in mobile
terminals has been expanding in recent years. The percentage of cell
phones, in particular, with built-in GPS functions is rising globally,
largely due to the lure of applications that allow the location of a cell
phone to be pinpointed in the event of an emergency call. The expansion of
the market for navigation systems is also driving demand for frequency-
stable TCXOs, which are essential for accurate positioning. Mobile GPS
devices such as these will be packing more features in increasingly dense
assemblies. This trend is expected to drive market demand for high-
stability TCXOs, and especially small units. Epson Toyocom is already
keeping pace with these GPS market trends with the TG-5005CG, a TCXO
equipped with a photo AT chip. However, while the TG-5005CG offers high
stability (0.5 × 10-6) in a 2.5 mm × 2.0 mm package, the market is already
looking toward even smaller sizes. Epson Toyocom is on target to meet the
more stringent size requirements with the commercial development of the TG-
5025BA, a 2016-class TCXO that offers outstanding frequency stability
despite being in the world's smallest package category.

The TG-5025BA is equipped with a photo AT chip, a very small, crystal chip
microfabricated using Epson Toyocom's unique QMEMS(*1) technology. In
addition to minimal variability of characteristics, the new oscillator
promises high reliability thanks to the use of internal wire bonding and
Epson Toyocom's original NPO (New Platform Oscillator) structure (*2). In
the NPO structure the crystal unit, encased in a ceramic package, is sealed
together with an oscillation circuit in a molded plastic housing. This
structure reduces the susceptibility of frequency to changes in ambient
temperature. Epson Toyocom's IC design technology brings additional
advantages to the TG-5025BA, including precise temperature compensation,
low power consumption since driving is performed at voltages as low as 1.68
V, and a wide output frequency range (13-52 MHz).

The TG-5025BA boasts a 36% smaller footprint and a 43% smaller cubic volume than its predecessor (2520 TCXO product). Despite its size, however, it has a frequency-temperature coefficient (an indicator of frequency stability
over a temperature range) of 0.5 × 10-6, a rating equivalent to that of a
TCXO in a conventional package size. To top it all off, the TG-5025BA uses
some 30% less power than its predecessor.