BAW resonator technology

Enable ultra-low jitter and superior reliability for next-generation timing solutions

What is BAW?

Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) is a resonator technology that uses piezoelectric transduction to generate a gigahertz frequency and high-Q resonance that can be integrated directly into standard plastic packages that contain other integrated circuits. BAW provides many advantages over traditional quartz and micro-electro mechanical resonators, including streamlined manufacturability, improved flexibility, better frequency stability and ultra-low jitter, as well as enhanced reliability under harsh environmental conditions such as vibration and shock.

Why choose our BAW technology?

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Enable industry-leading jitter performance

The integration of our BAW technology into our network synchronizer products enables ultra-low jitter performance of 42 fs

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Built for reliability

BAW technology is highly resilient to harsh environmental conditions such as mechanical shock and vibration and achieves 100 times better mean time between failures compared to quartz-based solutions

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Manufacturability

TI’s in-house manufacturing process, with fabrication, assembly and packaging, mitigates supply concerns with an integrated silicon-based solution that enables faster sampling and shorter lead times

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Simplify your designs

The integration of BAW into low-power wireless microcontrollers and clock generators removes the need for an external crystal/oscillator, resulting in a reduction in bill of materials, cost and space

Upgrade your design with BAW technology

Build a more reliable system with BAW technology

Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators offer many improvements over existing quartz and micro-electro mechanical resonator technologies. The primary improvement is the reliability of the BAW resonator in terms of vibration, shock, and mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) and failure-in-time (FIT) performance.

  • BAW resonators can maintain a stability of less than 2 ppb/g with no significant jitter or frequency degradation before, during or after a vibration event.
  • Under a mechanical shock of 1500 g, BAW resonators can maintain a frequency deviation <0.5 ppm and will not experience jitter degradation.
  • BAW resonators have a FIT rate of 0.3 and a MTBF of 3.3 billion hours at 35°C, equivalent to 0.3 failures over 1 billion hours of operation.
Application note
High Reliable BAW Oscillator MTBF and FIT Rate Calculations
You need to develop products that run reliably over the product lifetime and have the best MTBF for BAW oscillators. This paper provides calculations and results for MTBF and FIT values and the procedure for these calculations.
PDF | HTML
Application note
Vibration and Mechanical Shock Performance of TI BAW Oscillators
This paper provides details on BAW oscillator performance under stringent sinusoidal, random vibration, and mechanical shock conditions and describes various MIL-STD-883 test methods, test setup, and performance results.
PDF | HTML
Resource
Testing TI BAW Resonator Technology in Mechanical Shock and Vibration Environments
Read this article to learn how BAW technology resists mechanical shock and vibration and how BAW technology is evaluated with high industry standards.
Featured products for Reliability
LMK6C ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
LMK6H ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency HCSL oscillator
CC2652RB ACTIVE SimpleLink™ 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F multiprotocol 2.4 GHz wireless MCU with crystal-less BAW resonator

Realize the benefits of BAW technology's ultra-low-jitter performance

The ultra-low-jitter performance of bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology helps you meet the stringent requirements of 800-Gbps and 1.6-Tbps Ethernet-based networks and 5G/6G wireless infrastructure applications.

  • The incorporation of BAW technology as a voltage-controlled oscillator into network synchronizers offers a >20-dB advantage over traditional oscillators and <50-fs jitter performance.
  • A clean clocking source meets bit-error-rate requirements for EtherCAT, SerDes, Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, and application-specific integrated circuit and FPGA clocking.
Application note
How to use the LMK05318 as a jitter cleaner
This application report outlines the advantages of using ultra-high-performance clock synchronizers to generate reference clocks with ultra-low noise.
PDF
Application note
Understanding clocking needs for high-speed 56G PAM-4 serial links (Rev. A)
This document contains the summary of the test setups and measured results highlighting compliance to ITU-T G.8262 (Timing characteristics of a synchronous Ethernet equipment slave clock) standard.
PDF
Featured products for Ultra-low jitter
LMK5B33216 ACTIVE 16-output, three DPLL and APLL, network synchronizer with integrated 2.5-GHz bulk-acoustic-wave VCO
LMK5C33216 ACTIVE Ultra-low jitter clock synchronizer with JESD204B for wireless communications with BAW
LMK6P ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVPECL oscillator

Meet all of your clocking and timing needs with BAW technology

Existing resonator frequencies range from a few kilohertz to a few megahertz. Our bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology resonates at a gigahertz frequency, generating a wider range of frequencies for different timing applications.

  • The integration of gigahertz resonator frequencies with a fractional output divider enables the generation of frequencies from 1 MHz to 400 MHz in our oscillators and clock generators.
Blog
TI BAW Resonator Innovation Puts Time on Your Side
This blog post explains the use of the BAW gigahertz frequency resonator to generate a wide range of frequencies.
Application note
Standalone BAW Oscillators Advantages Over Quartz Oscillators
This application report details TI's BAW technology, the integration of a BAW resonator with oscillator circuitry to make a standalone oscillator, and the advantages of using a BAW oscillator over a quartz oscillator. 
PDF | HTML
Featured products for Flexibility
LMK6C ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
LMK6H ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency HCSL oscillator
NEW LMK3H0102 ACTIVE Bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based PCIe Gen 1 to Gen 6-compliant referenceless clock generator

Integrating BAW with additional circuitry reduces PCB space

The integration of BAW technology into our oscillators, clock generators and wireless microcontrollers removes additional components and reduces printed circuit board (PCB) space.

  • Our BAW oscillators come in 3.2-mm-by-2.5 mm and 2.5-mm-by-2.0-mm packages for easy drop-in replacement.
  • Integrating BAW resonators into clock generators eliminates the need for an external clock or crystal source, reducing bill of materials and simplifying designs. 
  • Integrating BAW resonators into wireless microcontrollers removes the need for external crystal or oscillator reference clocks.
Application brief
BAW Oscillator Solutions for Building Automation
This application brief describes BAW micro-resonator technology that enables the integration of high-precision and ultra-low jitter clocks directly into packages that contain other circuits.
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Application brief
BAW Oscillator Solutions for Network Interface Card
This application brief shows how some SmartNICs implement a common clock and independent reference PCIe clocking architecture at the same time. The card receives a clock from the motherboard through a PCIe connector. 
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Blog
Going Crystal-Less is Easy with the World's First Crystal-Less, Wireless SimpleLink™ MCU
Whether you are designing a space-constrained building security system or a power tool that will be used in a harsh physical environment, you can use BAW resonator technology. 
Featured products for Size
CC2652RB ACTIVE SimpleLink™ 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F multiprotocol 2.4 GHz wireless MCU with crystal-less BAW resonator
LMK6C ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
NEW LMK3H0102 ACTIVE Bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based PCIe Gen 1 to Gen 6-compliant referenceless clock generator

Maintain frequency accuracy over the full device lifetime

Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology provides improved stability.

  • Temperature stability of ±10 ppm over the –40°C to 105°C operating range.
  • Total frequency stability of ±25 ppm inclusive of solder shift, initial tolerance, variation from –40°C to 105°C, variation from 1.8 V to 3.3 V and 10-year aging.
Application note
Standalone BAW Oscillators Advantages Over Quartz Oscillators
This application report details TI's BAW technology, the integration of a BAW resonator with oscillator circuitry to make a standalone oscillator, and the advantages of using a BAW oscillator over a quartz oscillator. 
PDF | HTML
Blog
Top 5 things to know about TI BAW resonator technology
This blog describes the top 5 things to know about TI BAW resonator technology including what it is, how it works and its benefits. 
Featured products for Frequency stability
CC2652RB ACTIVE SimpleLink™ 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F multiprotocol 2.4 GHz wireless MCU with crystal-less BAW resonator
LMK6C ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
NEW LMK3H0102 ACTIVE Bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based PCIe Gen 1 to Gen 6-compliant referenceless clock generator

Manufacturing of BAW resonators mitigates supply concerns

TI manufactures its bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology-based products internally, including fabrication, assembly and test.

  • Fully internal manufacturing reduces dependability on external vendors.
  • The integration of our BAW resonator into standard plastic packages containing other integrated circuits (ICs) enables us to support samples and mass-production devices with a single IC for multiple-frequency, output-type and voltage variants.
Featured products for Manufacturability
LMK6H ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency HCSL oscillator
LMK6C ACTIVE Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
NEW LMK3H0102 ACTIVE Bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based PCIe Gen 1 to Gen 6-compliant referenceless clock generator

Discover featured applications

Enterprise
Maximize system reliability and performance necessary in enterprise systems using our multisource, BAW-based oscillators and clock generators for PCIe and Ethernet clocking.
Wired networking
Improve signal integrity and reduce total system cost for next generation 112 Gbps and 224 Gbps PAM4 SerDes with low jitter clocks enabled by our BAW technology.
Wireless infrastructure
BAW-based network synchronizers have made our clocking solutions the choice of many 4G and 5G networks deployed worldwide and are paving the way for future 6G designs.
Building automation
Maximize system reliability and performance necessary in building automation systems using our BAW-based oscillators, clock generators and wireless MCUs
Medical
Reduce space constraint concerns and provide high performance clocks to large number of medical system end points with our BAW-based products.

Maximize system reliability and performance necessary in enterprise systems using our multisource, BAW-based oscillators and clock generators for PCIe and Ethernet clocking.

Our multisource BAW-based oscillators and clock generators provide clocking solutions for all enterprise applications.

  • Server: Our BAW-based clock generators offer a single IC solution in a small 3 mm x 3 mm package for clocking the server management processor, OCP 3.0/CPU1 PE3 x 16 and FPGAs within a server motherboard.
  • SmartNIC/Hardware Accelerator: BAW-based oscillators and clock generators provide a reference clock for 56G/112G Ethernet and up to PCIe Gen 6.
  • SSD: BAW-based oscillators and clock generators provide a PCIe Gen 6 compliant reference clock for the SSD controller.

Featured resources

PRODUCTS
  • LMK6H – Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency HCSL oscillator
  • LMK3H0102 – Bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based PCIe Gen 1 to Gen 6-compliant referenceless clock generator
TECHNICAL RESOURCES

Improve signal integrity and reduce total system cost for next generation 112 Gbps and 224 Gbps PAM4 SerDes with low jitter clocks enabled by our BAW technology.

Our BAW-based network synchronizers are designed to meet the stringent jitter requirements of 112G/224G PAM-4 SerDes.

  • Ultra-low jitter performance: Integration of our BAW technology into our network synchronizer products enables ultra-low jitter performance of 42 fs.
  • Exceptional PSRR performance: Our BAW-based oscillators and network synchronizers contain integrated LDOs allowing for optimal clocking performance.
  • IEEE 1588 PTP & SyncE Solution: Best in class jitter along with class D timing accurate PTP software meeting G8275.1 and G.8275.2 and SyncE G.8262 compliance.

Featured resources

PRODUCTS
  • LMK5B33216 – 16-output, three DPLL and APLL, network synchronizer with integrated 2.5-GHz bulk-acoustic-wave VCO
  • LMK05318B – Ultra-low jitter single channel network synchronizer clock with BAW
  • LMK6P – Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVPECL oscillator
DESIGN TOOLS AND SIMULATION
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
  • TICSPRO-SW – Texas Instruments Clocks and Synthesizers (TICS) Pro Software

BAW-based network synchronizers have made our clocking solutions the choice of many 4G and 5G networks deployed worldwide and are paving the way for future 6G designs.

Design robust systems by utilizing our BAW-based network synchronizer's hitless switching and holdover performance, while simultaneously simplifying 5G designs with ultra-low Jitter clocks.

  • Simplify your power supply design:  Integrated LDOs providing < -75dBc PSRR on supply rails. 
  • AFE Interfacing: Programmable output swing and common mode voltage along with JESD204B and JESD204C support
  • Full timing support: Support IEEE-1588v2 PTP software and 1PPS signal deviation far less than +/-5 ns  
  • Partial timing support: Less than +/- 1µs with PDVs in excess of 230µs.

Featured resources

PRODUCTS
  • LMK5C33216 – Ultra-low jitter clock synchronizer with JESD204B for wireless communications with BAW
  • LMK6C – Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
TECHNICAL RESOURCES
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
  • TICSPRO-SW – Texas Instruments Clocks and Synthesizers (TICS) Pro Software
  • PLLATINUMSIM-SW – Texas Instruments PLLatinum Simulator Tool

Maximize system reliability and performance necessary in building automation systems using our BAW-based oscillators, clock generators and wireless MCUs

Building automation systems maximize safety, robustness and reliability at a scalable level. To obtain better performance, a complex and reliable network of accurate clock data is required. Our BAW-based products provide a solution that meets these needs.

  • Reliability and robustness:  BAW technology provides improved vibration and shock performance and 100x better MTBF than quartz resonator technologies.
  • Performance: Our BAW-based products support an operating temperature range of -40 to 105C and a total frequency stability of +/- 25 ppm including 10 years of aging.

Featured resources

PRODUCTS
  • LMK6C – Low-jitter, high-performance, bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) fixed-frequency LVCMOS oscillator
  • LMK3H0102 – Bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based PCIe Gen 1 to Gen 6-compliant referenceless clock generator
  • CC2652RB – SimpleLink™ 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F multiprotocol 2.4 GHz wireless MCU with crystal-less BAW resonator

Reduce space constraint concerns and provide high performance clocks to large number of medical system end points with our BAW-based products.

Performance, size and reliability are key metrics for medical systems. BAW technology can be used to exceed requirements for these metrics.

  • Performance: Our network synchronizer products provide jitter performance clocks of 42 fs that are compliant with the JESD204B standard.
  • Size: Integration of BAW into our products provides the opportunity to remove additional components and reduce the PCB space allocated to these devices and their external circuitry.
  • Reliability:  BAW technology provides improved vibration and shock performance over quartz resonator technologies.

Featured resources

PRODUCTS
  • LMK05318B – Ultra-low jitter single channel network synchronizer clock with BAW
  • LMK5B33216 – 16-output, three DPLL and APLL, network synchronizer with integrated 2.5-GHz bulk-acoustic-wave VCO
  • CC2652RB – SimpleLink™ 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F multiprotocol 2.4 GHz wireless MCU with crystal-less BAW resonator