Environmental Sensitivities of Quartz Crystal Oscillators

Fred L. Walls

Abstract: The frequency, amplitude, and noise of the output signal of a quartz-crystal-controlled-oscillator is affected by a large number of environmental effects. This paper examines the physical basis for the sensitivity of precision oscillators to temperature, humidity, pressure, vibration, magnetic field, electric field, loud, and radiation. The sensitivity of crystal oscillators to radiation is a very complex topic and poorly understood. Therefore only a few general results are mentioned. The sensitivity to most external influences often varies significantly from one oscillator type to another and from one unit of a given type to another. For a given unit, the sensitivity to one parameter often depends on the value of other parameters and history. Representative sensitivity to the above parameter will be given.
Published in: Proceedings of the 22th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting
December 4 - 6, 1990
Sheraton Premiere Hotel
Vienna, Virginia
Pages: 465 - 486
Cite this article: Walls, Fred L., "Environmental Sensitivities of Quartz Crystal Oscillators," Proceedings of the 22th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Vienna, Virginia, December 1990, pp. 465-486.
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