The oscillator has a small design measuring 2.5mm x 2.0mm. Programmable clock oscillators are well suited in applications where an adaptive frequency is required. One such application is that of a master clock in CPU-based systems where the clock speed is ramped up during processor intensive operations and then ramped back down when the requirements are not so onerous. It also comes with the option for tri-state to be enabled or disabled to suit all needs. The main reason for having this control is to conserve energy, the slower clock speed requiring less current from the power supply, thus allowing for greener and quieter use.
Another use for programmable oscillators could be in a frequency keyed communication system – in its simplest form a frequency shift keyed system provides a logic one for one frequency and a logic zero for another frequency, thus allowing digital words to be transmitted.
Many of today’s communication integrated circuits are complex with multiple functional blocks containing functions such as phase locked loops where programmable clock architecture provides for flexibility in the communication system design.
Other advantages of programmable clock oscillators may be in the flexibility given to a system design in the early stages, where it is not clear what final frequency is required. Programmable clock oscillators can be purchased on relatively short lead times, whereas fixed frequency clock oscillators on a non-standard frequency can be on over 20 weeks lead time.
