OCXO Oscillators – SMD

An Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) is a type of oscillator that is placed in a temperature-controlled chamber in order to keep the quartz crystal at a constant temperature. This is done to prevent changes in the frequency triggered by variations in ambient temperature. OCXOs are used to control frequency in radio transmitters, cellular base stations, Phase Lock Loop (PLL) circuits in telecom timing recovery, radar stations, military communications equipment and precision frequency measurement.

OCXOs require more power than oscillators that run at ambient temperature, due to heater power requirements. OCXOs are also larger due to the requirement for the heater, thermal mass, and thermal insulation. Therefore, this type of oscillator is not used in battery powered or miniature applications like watches. SMD OCXOs are typically used in digital TV-tuner, digital video, DVD, and portable MP3 players.