To design, realise and test a high performance MEMS reference oscillator

Today, reference oscillators are based on a quartz resonator which is carefully sheltered in order to provide a very stable environment to this key component which in turn provides a very stable and low phase noise reference. This type of oscillator also called Oven Controlled Oscillator (OCXO) is the core technology in most space products requiring either stable frequency or low phase noise or both. Though far more recent on the market, MEMS oscillators are already as good as TCXO while being much smaller (hybrid assembly as compared to single chip solution). The purpose of this activity is to assess whether this type of MEMS oscillator, with the resonator being protected in a similar way than for the quartz in the OCXO, could deliver performances close to OCXO but with a smaller footprint and lower consumption. The study logic is as follows: - Assessment of commercial MEMS oscillators in protective environment, - Design, fabrication and test of MEMS resonators, - Design, fabrication and test of a high performance MEMS reference oscillator.