Abracon Corporation

Recommended Handling

Quartz Crystal Oscillators

ELECTRICAL
1. Supply voltage
  Most of Abracon oscillators utilize a CMOS technology ASIC chip with extreme ESD sensitivity. When apply power to the oscillator unit, be sure to check the polarities before connecting to the terminals. Reversed polarity connections may cause the unit to be damaged electrically (dead) or mechanically (burn, color change). Pin 1 is usually dentified by a black dot marked on cover. Be sure to apply voltage to the oscillator not exceeding the maximum specified value which is typically 7Vdc max. for most CMOS IC. Applying under rating voltage could result to no (unstable) oscillation. Although many metal can oscillators have built-in bypass capacitors, it is a good practice to add an external bypass capacitor 0.01 pF near the Vdd terminal. The external capacitor is used as an over impressed voltage and overcurrent protective device. Figure 1shows a typical layout for a surface-mount crystal oscillator.
  Figure 1
2. Load impedance
  Oscilloscope impedance shall be greater than 1 Mfi with probe capacitance less than 15pF. The load applied shall include probe capacitance. All lead length should be kept as short as possible especially ground trace. Output trace from oscillator output to the load (next IC) shall be kept short and avoided layout in parallel or cross with another hot signal trace. Stray capacitance and inductance have major effects on output impedance of the oscillator unit and shall be minimized.
3. Output frequency Output frequency shall be measured with a precision frequency counter using a reference external time base. Make sure to stabilize the crystal oscillator (warm-up) before recording the final frequency value, especially on high frequency and high current units.
MECHANICAL
1. Vibration and shock
  Do not apply or cause sudden shock and vibration exceeding its maximum specifications to the unit. Severe drop or being hit with a hard object could damage the unit electrically and mechanically. Please test the unit if dropped before assembling or using.
2. Mounting
  The following precautions shall be applied during mounting through-hole crystal oscillators:
  - Do not force spreading the terminals into socket or PCB holes. This will avoid breaking the glass insulation on terminals.
  - Do not apply excessive soldering heat or soldering duration on terminals.
  - When bending leads for surface-mount, be very careful to use appropriate tool keeping a safe distance between the terminal base and the bent area.
    The following precautions shall be applied to all surface-mount oscillators:
  - Use the appropriate reflow condition as recommended on the unit specification. Please make sure to not exceed the peak temperature, its maximum duration, the number of exposures, the rate of temperature change vs. time, etc.
3. Cleaning
  Use only recommended solvents in order to avoid discoloration or damage on ink marking permanency. Some solvents, which contain Chlorine, may cause some color discoloration on some metallic cover. Do not exceed the maximum recommended temperature when cleaning.
PACKAGING
Although an anti-static protection circuit is built-in the ASIC, excessive static electricity level may damage the unit. Abracon uses Non-conductive packing materials for all oscillators. By sure to ground with ESD strap before handling the device.
HANDLING UNUSED TERMINALS
Some Abracon oscillators include Tristate function. Although there is an internal pull-up resistor to prevent floating, it is recommended to terminate the tristate terminal to Vdd with a resistor of 100k Ohm in series.
STORING
Please store all units at normal temperature and humidity. High humidity may cause deterioration to units. Avoid storing over a long period. Please perform visual and electrical inspections before using once the units are stored over a long period.

Quartz Crystals, Ceramic Resonators, SAW Filters

ENVIRONMENTAL AND MECHANICAL
Vibration:
Abracon products are designed and manufactured to handle standard vibration conditions. Please take extreme precautions to ensure that products are not subjected to vibrations other than the ones specified in our appendix C. Vibration can damage the product by cracking or breaking the quartz wafer.
Shock:
Abracon products are designed and manufactured to handle standard mechanical drop shock from 75cm on a wooden board or equivalent to 1,000g. Please take extreme precautions to ensure that products are not subjected to vibrations other than the ones specified in our appendix C.
Thermal shock:
Thermal shock is a test to measure the reliability of the products under rapid temperature changes. Abracon products are designed and manufactured to handle up to 1,000 hours of thermal shock from -40°C to 85°C. Please refer to appendix C for thermal shock specifications.
Humidity:
Avoid dew condensation and high humidity. Abracon products are designed to meet standard humidity at 85% relative ii at 85°C. Please store products in appropriate heat and humidity to guarantee the shelf life.
Soldering:
Unless otherwise specified, soldering should be performed on terminals at 260°C for 10s maximum. Do not apply direct soldering heat on crystal package body since it could damage the unit.
Reflow:
Abracon surface-mount products are designed and manufactured to meet standard IR reflow method. However, duration of the reflow stages may vary from part to part. Please check specifications for details.

Duraition of reflow stages can be found in appendix E.
Cleaning:
Avoid ultrasonic cleaning as it may cause damage to the product. Banned solvents could affect marking permanency or cause discoloration on products. Please take extra precautions when cleaning ceramic resonators.
Lead bending and cutting:
Be careful not to apply too much pressure when bending leads. Try to use a tool to clamp the leads then bend at a 90° angle with minimum clearance from body. Do not apply excessive force to cut or bend leads. Doing so could crack the glass insulation or resin seal and cause leak.
ELECTRICAL
Operating temperature:
Products should be used and operated within temperature limits as specified in the catalog.
Storage temperature:
Products should be stored within temperature limits as specified in the catalog. Storage temperature can be between 10° to 45°C.
Drive level:
Products should be operated within maximum power as specified in the catalog. Excessive drive level could break the crystal wafer or affect long-term and short-term stability.
PACKAGING
Packaging:
Although quartz crystals, ceramic resonators, and crystal filters are not ESD sensitive, we recommend packaging in anti-static bag for better protection. We use various packaging methods such as anti-static tube, tray, foam, tape and reel, ammo packing on Abracon products. We recommend opening packaging tubes or bags with care to avoid damage to products.
LAYOUT
We recommend to layout crystals, resonators, or SAW products close to the chipset inputs. Avoid long and coupling traces. Avoid multilayer boards to avoid stray inductance and capacitance. Those items could result to a frequency error or affect circuit start-up.